Bonds
by Light Within Darkness
Summary: As one of the last two surviving members of the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke has dedicated his life to avenging the deaths of his kinsmen. In order to do so, he must kill the man responsible, the cruel and paranoid demon ruler of Konoha, Shimura Danzou. Upon sneaking into the royal demon palace, however, Sasuke finds himself mated to the figurehead Demon Prince, Uzumaki Naruto. NaruSasu.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note****: The idea for this story was knocking around in my head for ages. Since classes are FINALLY over for the semester, I have more time to write (hooray!) So welcome, dearest readers, to "Bonds," my second fic for the _Naruto_ fandom. The idea for this story was knocking around in my head for ages, but I haven't had time to actually write it down before now because of schoolwork.  
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**This fic will have mature content, in the form of sexual relationships between two boys. There will also be some fighting and violence later on as well. Yes, I know that FF doesn't technically allow that sort of thing, but they're also pretty lax about actually taking down offending stories, so I'll take my chances. On the off-chance that this fic actually _does_ get removed, I am also posting it up on my AO3 account. The link to that can be found in my profile.**

**DISCLAIMER:**** _Naruto _is the property of Viz Media and Kishimoto Masashi. This is a work of fanfiction, and I make no money off of writing it. **

**WARNINGS: There will be sex and violence later on, but this chapter is pretty tame. There are some references to past violent actions, and that's about it.**

**So if you enjoy tales of political intrigue, fantasy kingdoms, ninjutsu, and the passionate and volatile romance between Sasuke and Naruto, then this is the fic for you! Read on, and enjoy.**

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"Nii-san…?"

The soft, plaintive voice slipped through Itachi's ears like silk, gently rousing him from sleep. Yawning, Itachi cracked his eyes open to see his little brother standing at the side of his bed, the boy's large, dark eyes wide as he watched Itachi sit up.

"Sasuke, what are you doing up?" Itachi muttered, his voice thick with sleepiness. Glancing out the window just above his bed, he could see that the sky was still dark, with not even the faintest glow on the eastern horizon. "It's very late, you know. Are you sick? Is something wrong?" Itachi's muscles tensed automatically, ready to leap out of bed and grab a weapon at the slightest indication that something was amiss.

"Everything's OK, nii-san," Sasuke whispered. "I just couldn't fall asleep, 'cause I was so excited about starting my training with you tomorrow. Can I sleep in the bed with you? Please?" The boy blinked cutely up at his older brother with open adoration, and Itachi smiled at the way Sasuke's spiky black hair stuck up in the back even more than usual from tossing and turning.

"Alright, as long as you promise to lie still and be quiet. I need to sleep, you know."

Sasuke grinned up at his older brother, his smile gap-toothed from where he'd recently lost a few baby teeth. "I promise!"

Itachi lay back down and moved to the side in order to make room for his little brother, who immediately latched onto him like a monkey under the blanket. For a few blissful minutes Sasuke remained quiet. Itachi was just starting to think that he'd get back to sleep after all when once again he heard, quiet and deceptively innocent right next to his ear, "Itachi? Are you asleep yet?"

Itachi sighed in annoyance. "No. And Sasuke, if you don't stay quiet you'll have to go back to your own bed."

"Will you tell me a story?" Sasuke was looking up at him with those huge eyes of his again, showing once more how much he looked up to and loved his older brother. It was predictable, really, seeing as how Sasuke was only seven years old, and Itachi was all the family he had left. All that both of them had in this world was each other.

"A short one, then. And in return, you must promise me that you will apply yourself diligently in training tomorrow, and for all the days after that as well. Learning the fighting arts is difficult, and you need to practice often."

"I promise, Itachi," Sasuke said, looking very solemn at his brother's words.

"Good. I have faith that you will do well, otouto." Itachi ruffled his little brother's hair, causing Sasuke to giggle quietly, basking in Itachi's praise. "Now, what story would you like to hear?"

"Tell me the one about Danzou, and about how we have to avenge our family and redeem the Uchiha name?" Sasuke asked eagerly.

Itachi frowned. Sasuke did not often ask him for stories, as the ones Itachi made up were always terrible. On the rare occasion that Sasuke did ask for a story, however, he asked for this one. Sasuke probably liked hearing about Danzou so much because telling that story was one of the few times Itachi actually talked about their family. Sasuke had only been three when the rest of the Uchiha had been killed – or rather, massacred – with only himself and Itachi left alive. He didn't even remember their parents that well.

Itachi could tell that not remembering their parents bothered his little brother, since Sasuke asked him questions about them multiple times a day. _"What was okaa-san's favorite color? What did otou-san like eating for dinner?"_ He would ask, with the sort of serious expression typically not seen on a seven year-old's face. Itachi would always brush the questions off, saying that he was too tired to answer, or too busy, or that he didn't know. It pained him to admit it, but Itachi simply found it too painful to talk about the Uchiha clan. Trying to felt like someone was twisting a knife deep inside his heart, a sharp and fierce pain that had not dulled at all with time.

Yet still, Itachi would tell Sasuke this story. It served to keep the anger inside of him burning brightly, to remind himself of their duty as the last remaining Uchiha, and to impart to Sasuke the urgency of that duty. And so, the oldest living Uchiha began the tale.

"Demons have ruled the various countries of our world as kings and queens, for as long as anyone can remember. They have served as stewards and guardians over humanity throughout the ages. They have worked to settle our disputes, and to protect and lead us so that we may live our lives in peace. In our country, Konoha, the greatest of these demon kings was- "

"Namikaze Minato!" Sasuke whispered happily.

"Yes, Namikaze Minato." Itachi gently tapped his brother's nose. "Now be quiet and let me tell you the story, alright Sasuke?"

"OK, nii-san. I won't interrupt anymore, I promise."

Itachi continued. "Namikaze Minato was perhaps the wisest and most powerful king the Land of Konoha has ever known. Under his rule, our cities flourished and our farms prospered. Any problems that arose, whether they were among humans or demons, were resolved promptly and fairly. Demons and humans mingled freely in the streets, as friends and as equals. And when Minato announced that his wife, the queen Uzumaki Kushina, was pregnant with a son, there was much rejoicing. Celebrations were held in the streets that lasted for days. Everyone rejoiced at the news of a royal heir, someone who would surely carry on in the kind and noble ways of his parents. The happiness and prosperity of the people would be ensured for another generation to come.

"Then, something terrible happened. You see, the Queen wasn't just an ordinary demon. She was a jinchuuriki, someone who had one of the Tailed Beasts imprisoned inside of her. The Tailed Beasts were huge and terrible monsters with many tails. Several centuries ago they ravaged this world, preying on humans and demons alike, and leaving only destruction in their wake. Then a group of nine extremely powerful demons, assisted by humans, managed to imprison all nine of the Tailed Beasts into their own bodies. In doing so, they became the first jinchuuriki. As the years went by and the jinchuuriki grew old, they transferred the Tailed Beasts into nine new demons. In this way, the beasts remained imprisoned for hundreds of years.

"On the night Kushina went into labor, however, something went terribly wrong. You see Sasuke, Kushina was the jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi, the Nine-Tailed Fox, who was the most powerful of all the Tailed Beasts. Giving birth to her son depleted all of Kushina's reserves of chakra, leaving her spent and exhausted. It was in that moment of weakness that the Kyuubi literally tore its way out of her body, killing Kushina in the process.

"Minato was devastated at the loss of his wife, whom he had loved greatly. Yet he knew that his duty to the people was more important than even his own feelings of loss and sorrow. So he used every bit of his own power to fight the Kyuubi. I am told that the battle raged fiercely for many hours, leaving most of the royal palace destroyed afterwards. Finally, just as dawn was breaking over the horizon, Minato managed to subdue the Kyuubi and imprison it inside of the nearest living, undamaged vessel – his own newborn son.

"Unfortunately Minato had sustained mortal injuries in his fight with the Kyuubi. He died barely an hour after making his son a jinchuuriki. Before he passed away, the King requested that his son be called Uzumaki Naruto, giving the boy his mother's family name in order to honor her memory.

"Since both the King and Queen had died without leaving an heir who could immediately take over the throne, their closest advisor, a woman named Tsunade, was appointed to rule until Naruto was old enough to become King. Tsunade proved to be an extremely intelligent and capable ruler. For three years after Minato and Kushina's death, she ran Konoha's affair smoothly. Then, when Prince Naruto was only three years old, Tsunade suddenly fell gravely ill. No doctors, whether human or demon, were able to help her. She died a few days later.

"The man who took Tsunade's place on the throne was the Royal Ambassador, Shimura Danzou. He was known for being a cold-hearted, paranoid man who was utterly dedicated to keeping Konoha safe from enemies. There are rumors that in the early years of his reign, Danzou had anyone who disapproved of his leadership imprisoned and tortured, or just killed outright. However, Danzou is also smart, and as slippery as a freshly caught fish. To this day, no one has enough proof to accuse him of any wrongdoing.

"Danzou also believes that humans and demons should be kept separate from each other, as he believes that demons are a superior race to humans. So he has walled off the area around the royal palace for several miles, forming a sort of miniature city, where only demons, along with a few subordinate human servants, are allowed to live. It is called Konohagakure, and no demon has passed through the walls of Konohagakure since Danzou took control. Only the human servants are allowed to come and go as they please, in order to bring in food and luxuries from the rest of Konoha.

"This, Sasuke, is a story that every citizen knows about how the government of Konoha came to be the way it is today. Shimura Danzou is officially supposed to step aside as ruler when Prince Naruto turns twenty-one, and by demonic law is old enough to rule as King in his own right."

"But that's not the whole story, is it, Itachi?" Sasuke asked drowsily, regarding his brother through eyes half-lidded with sleep.

"Are you sure you wish for me to continue, Sasuke? You're falling asleep…"

"Please finish, nii-san," Sasuke pleaded quietly, fisting his little hands into the fabric of Itachi's nightshirt. "I want to know…" The rest of whatever Sasuke said was swallowed up in the huge yawn that came out of his mouth a moment later.

"Fine, I'll humor you," Itachi said, though now he didn't know if he was telling the story for Sasuke's benefit or his own, in order to remind himself once more of the task at hand.

"Our clan, the Uchiha, has served the demon leaders of Konoha for as long as anyone can remember, with loyalty and faithfulness. None of the Uchiha have been demons for many generations now, and we were the only human clan to serve our country so closely. The Uchiha have worked as spies, as diplomats, as courtesans and as assassins. We were a very well kept secret. Besides the King and Queen, only a few select, high-ranking government officials knew of our existence, and what we did. Our loyalties lay with the Clan and with Konoha, and to no one and nothing else. The Uchiha Clan is – _was_ – Konoha's hidden weapon, one wielded deftly by past demon monarchs in order to ensure this country's strength in the world.

"Shortly after Minato and Kushina died, our clan heads pledged their loyalty to Tsunade, since she had been favored by our late monarchs to rule in the young prince's stead. For three years, she utilized our clan's services and skills to their fullest potential, just as the King and Queen before her had. We fully believed that Prince Naruto would come to power in a few years with little trouble, and Konoha would remain a strong and proud nation.

"But the years of relative peace and prosperity in Konoha had made us lazy and complacent, unwilling to believe that anything could harm us. We were the Uchiha, after all, Konoha's finest and most elite agents. We were invincible, or so we thought.

"When the attack came, it took us completely by surprise. One night, mercenaries from other lands – cold, heartless warriors who took pleasure in killing - came flooding into our homes. Since the Uchiha Clan lived together in a secluded location outside of Konoha's capital city, no one was aware of what was going on. We all fought well and bravely, but it wasn't enough. There were simply too many enemies, and we were eventually overwhelmed.

"I was thirteen at the time, and training to be an assassin under our father, Uchiha Fugaku. The night we were attacked, I was woken up by our front door being smashed in by no less than four burly men, armed to the teeth and howling for blood. I hurried to get up and get my weapons, but our mother, Mikoto, shoved you into my arms and yelled for me to run, to get you to safety, while she and our father held the men off.

"You were only three years old at the time, Sasuke, so you probably don't remember any of this…"

"I do too," Sasuke mumbled sleepily into his older brother's side, earning an indulgent smile from Itachi.

"…You cried and wailed at the top of your lungs for our parents as I ran away. The screams, the blood, the bright tongues of flame as the mercenaries burned our homes…all of it frightened you badly. You had no idea what was going on, and neither did I." Itachi's voice remained calm and even, and his face showed no emotion as he spoke. The pain of remembering that night, however, was evident in the way his body lay, tense as a piano wire. The hand that wasn't holding his little brother was clenching his sheets in a tight, white-knuckled grip.

"I didn't stop running for at least two or three miles, until I was about ready to pass out from the breakneck pace I'd been keeping up. Then I climbed the tallest tree I could find and sat in it with you until morning. You fell asleep then, thank goodness, and I prayed to every single god and spirit I could think of that our parents were all right, and that the rest of the Uchiha Clan had managed to rout our attackers.

"When dawn broke over the horizon, I climbed down from the tree and ran back home. Thankfully, you were still asleep. I don't think I could have taken anymore of that wailing…

"I don't know what I thought I would find when I returned to the Uchiha Clan home, but it certainly wasn't the utter annihilation that greeted me. The mercenaries had burnt all of our houses to the ground, so that only ashes and a few skeletal, charred pieces of wood remained. The earth was scorched black from the intensity of the flames. They'd left the bodies of our kinsmen to burn as well. All that was left of them was a few charred pieces of bone lying about here and there.

"For then next few days, I camped out with you in a tree near our home. I buried the few Uchiha remains I could find. Most of our clan's tools and weapons, pieces of exquisite craftsmanship that had been passed down from parent to child for generations, had also perished in the fire. I was able to salvage only three kunai knives, which had somehow slipped underneath a rock and been protected from the worst of the flames.

"By the end of the week, I knew that there was nothing left for us. You and I left home for the last time, the only two surviving members of the once brave and proud Uchiha Clan.

"I have no official proof that Danzou was the man behind the Uchiha Clan's massacre. He is, after all, very careful not to get implicated in any wrongful or suspicious behavior. Yet, I strongly believe that he was the man who ordered our family killed. Shortly after the massacre, the news went out that Tsunade had died, and Danzou would rule in her stead until the prince came of age. The two events are quite probably connected. After all, the Uchiha would never have pledged loyalty to a man who took the throne by force. As a powerful clan family, our clan would have posed a serious threat to Danzou's rule. He probably preferred to take us out all at once, rather than risk an uprising later on.

"You and I had nowhere safe to go after leaving home. I knew that no one would believe me if I told them the truth, and anyone who might have been in a position to help now thought us dead. I managed to get us out of the capital city, however, and found an abandoned house several miles away from the nearest settlement, deep in the woods. And this is where we live to this day, surviving off of the land and our infrequent trips to town."

Sasuke hadn't tried to interrupt Itachi for several minutes now. The boy was curled up against his older brother's side, his eyes closed and his breathing deep and regular. Although Itachi knew that his brother was asleep, he continued to speak anyway, albeit in a softer voice.

"This, Sasuke, is why I must train you, in subterfuge, in strategy, and in fighting. You must grow strong enough to assist me in infiltrating Konohagakure and killing Shimura Danzou. Only by doing so can we avenge the Uchiha Clan, and bring an end to Danzou's corrupt reign. We fight for our Clan and for Konoha, the two things to which we owe the most loyalty. And we _will _be victorious.

"Danzou made a grave mistake in assuming that all of the Uchiha are dead. The fact that the two of us anonymous, that nobody knows who we are, is our greatest weapon. After all, our enemy cannot prepare against a threat that he does not see coming.

His story at an end, Itachi gently whispered, "good night Sasuke." He wrapped his arm a little tighter around his younger brother, and quickly followed him into sleep.

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**Author's Note****: I just love writing kid!Sasuke and big brother!Itachi. I wish there were more sweet familial moments between the two of them in the actual manga. Their relationship is pretty messed-up and angsty. :(**

**Like the story so far? Hate it? Tell me in a review! Reviews are a wonderful motivation for a writer like myself. **


	2. Training

**Author's Note****: Oh my gosh, you guys! **_**Seventeen**_** reviews, and just for the prologue?! I'm honored, I truly am. You all are the best. *hugs all of your faces***

**Originally, Naruto was going to show up in this chapter, but the story kind of ran away with me a bit and before I knew it, this chapter was nine pages long. So he'll probably show up at the end of the next chapter. And smut is coming soon as well, I promise. ;) In the meantime, have more of the Uchiha brothers.  
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**DISCLAIMER****: I don't own the rights to **_**Naruto**_**, unfortunately, but I do own this adorable Naruto plushie! :3 This is a work of fanfiction, and I derive no profit from it whatsoever.**

**WARNINGS****: Mild violence, mild gore, and the hunting and killing of an animal. (I in no way condone harm to animals of any sort in real life, however.) There's a swear word or two in here as well. **

**And now, on to the chapter.**

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Sasuke crouched silently atop a thick, sturdy branch in the middle of the forest, his body a tense coil of energy. The younger Uchiha concentrated hard on not moving or making the slightest of sounds, lest he scare off the prey he'd been tracking through the woods for the better part of the day. He steadied his breathing the way Itachi had taught him to, so that his breath didn't stir even the smallest of leaves nearby.

Dark eyes stared intently down at the large cougar currently below him, cold and calculating as Sasuke debated on the best strategy for attack. The cougar was contentedly munching on the remains of a fresh kill – a fawn, perhaps, from what Sasuke could see of the bones. Its tail flicked back and forth in contentment, and Sasuke, with his keen eyesight, could see that the animal's muscles were relaxed. The cougar was aware of its surroundings, as all animals were, but it wasn't ready for a fight at the moment. It was the perfect opportunity to strike.

Sasuke had been hunting the cougar through the woods since sunup, tracking it by its prints in the soft dirt. He'd nearly scared it off earlier, when he'd accidentally stepped on a stick and the resulting _crack_ had alerted the cougar to his presence. It was a stroke of good luck that the younger Uchiha was able to find its trail again. Now, as the late afternoon sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, Sasuke prepared to make his move.

_"When you come home tonight, Sasuke, bring me the paw of a cougar. Cougars are the most fearsome and deadly predators in these woods. If you are able to accomplish this task, then you will be ready to move forward with your training."_ Itachi's words from this morning echoed in Sasuke's ears. The younger Uchiha shifted his position ever so slightly, being extremely careful not to make the tiniest bit of noise. He gripped his sharp wooden knife tightly in his right hand. It was a crude weapon, but for Sasuke's purposes, it would do.

It was vital that he succeeded at this task. He could not afford to fail. The younger Uchiha could just imagine the disappointed look on Itachi's face if he were to come home without the cougar's paw. However, the younger Uchiha's main motivation wasn't what Itachi would think. Rather, Sasuke's own desires were what motivated him now – namely, the desire to become strong and surpass Itachi. The older Uchiha was an expert in just about everything, from strategy to fighting. Not once in Sasuke's six years of training had he come even close to his brother's level of skill. Being second best bothered him greatly, much more than he'd ever let on to anyone, least of all Itachi.

Sasuke took a deep breath and leaped from the tree branch, thrusting the hand clutching the knife forward.

The unsuspecting cougar let out a surprised grunt as Sasuke landed in a neat crouch on its back. A second later, Sasuke reached forward and plunged the wooden knife straight into its right eye.

The cougar roared in pain, effectively scattering a flock of birds out of a nearby tree. Blood dripped liberally from its eye. Its back muscles rippled violently, and in one swift movement, the animal managed to buck Sasuke off of it. The younger Uchiha barely managed to land on his feet, watching as the cougar shook its head to try and dislodge the knife. The action did the creature no good; the weapon was firmly lodged in its eye. Sasuke rolled to the side as the wounded cougar lashed out at him with lightning quick claws. He very nearly gored to death; the cougar's claws had come so close to Sasuke's face that he'd felt a brief puff of air across his cheeks as they passed him by. Luckily, however, the younger Uchiha managed to escape serious harm.

Sasuke moved swiftly around to the cougar's right, where the animal was now blinded. He took advantage of the split second he had before the cougar turned around, leaping forward and using the full weight of his thirteen-year old body to pin the creature down. The wounded animal roared again, struggling to free itself. Sasuke knew that, despite its injury, the cougar had enough strength to buck him off again. He probably wouldn't get another chance to kill it if that happened. It was now or never.

The younger Uchiha grunted as he reached forward and grasped the animal firmly around its neck, while keeping it pinned down with his legs. He then broke the creature's neck in one swift, sharp movement. There was a clean _snap _of broken bone, and then the cougar's body went limp beneath Sasuke. The younger Uchiha rolled off of it, breathing heavily, and smirked up at the sky. He had done it.

After a few minutes of getting his breath back, Sasuke sat up and yanked his wooden knife out of the dead cougar's eye. The weapon came free with a sickening squelch, allowing blood and other nameless, disgusting bodily fluids to pool from the destroyed socket onto the ground. Sasuke frowned slightly in disgust before lifting up one of the creature's forelegs and getting to work on cutting off its paw.

About half a mile away, Itachi was hidden in a tree, his body carefully concealed behind the dense web of its leaves and branches. Had there been another person nearby, only Itachi's eyes would have been visible to them – and what terrible eyes they were! The older Uchiha's gaze was blood red, with three black tomoes swirling almost lazily around small pupils. Upon seeing his younger brother's triumph against the cougar, however, Itachi's eyes slowly faded back to their normal black. He smiled slightly, a rarity on his normally stoic face. _Well done, otouto. Looks like I didn't need to step in after all. _With that thought, Itachi rose gracefully to his feet and leapt swiftly from branch to branch back through the forest. He had to be home before Sasuke was, lest the boy realize his older brother had followed him. There would be no end of trouble if Sasuke found _that _out.

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Ever since the tender age of seven, Itachi had been training Sasuke to be an expert Uchiha assassin. Many of the skills the younger Uchiha would need – moving around quietly without being seen, being able to think up a strategy on the fly, and killing a mark quickly and efficiently, for starters – were taught when the two brothers went hunting in the thick woods surrounding their house. _"Assassinating a human is, in principle, very similar to killing an animal," _Itachi had said. _"In both cases, you must use strategy, stealth, and speed to take down your target. You must make the kill quickly, so that the target cannot escape."_

Itachi took Sasuke out hunting two or three times a week, depending, of course, on the weather and season. Since the two lived so far away from civilization, they relied heavily on wild game for food. Itachi also kept a small plot of cultivated land near the house, where he grew vegetables and berries. Even before he was old enough to train, a toddler-aged Sasuke had been helping his brother pull weeds and pickle the crops for the winter.

Sasuke learned quickly, driven at first by the desire to please his older brother. The boy displayed high intelligence and a good capability for analytical thought, which made Itachi immensely proud. Sasuke was definitely an Uchiha, through and through.

By the time he was eight, Sasuke could leap from branch to branch among the treetops quickly and gracefully, allowing him to traverse the forest with ease. When he was ten, Sasuke was trapping small game, such as rabbits and squirrels, in traps he'd made himself. At eleven, Sasuke was able to create serviceable weapons of all sorts, from knives to a bow, out of natural materials such as wood, bone, and stone. At twelve, Sasuke could hit a deer in the head from twenty paces with a bow and arrow.

When he wasn't out hunting with Itachi, Sasuke's days were filled with training of a different sort. His brother taught him taijutsu, and they would spend hours at a time sparring behind the house until Sasuke was able to master a move to Itachi's satisfaction. The younger Uchiha was quizzed on how he would escape a number of dangerous situations, or on what strategy he would use to assassinate a target under a given set of circumstances. He learned math, reading, and writing. What little Itachi knew of demon chakra and behavior, he taught to Sasuke.

Itachi was not an easy teacher, though this wasn't immediately apparent. Not once had he ever gotten outwardly angry or even so much as yelled at Sasuke, though the younger Uchiha might have preferred it if he had. What Itachi did instead was much worse. If Sasuke failed to master something to Itachi's satisfaction, his older brother would look at him with eyes so intense that it felt as if the older Uchiha was drilling a hole straight through his younger brother's soul. It was the sort of gaze that didn't really tell Sasuke how Itachi was feeling at the moment, but nevertheless conveyed an utmost sense of disappointment. Sasuke felt that entire generations of Uchiha were looking at him in disappointment through those pitch-black eyes. Just by looking at him, Itachi told Sasuke _"You are not only disappointing me by failing to work hard enough, but you are also shaming the memories of our parents, who died so that we would be safe."_ It was enough to make Sasuke redouble his efforts until he had practically fainted from exhaustion. Such was his desire to make Itachi proud, and to honor the memories of his kinsmen.

When Sasuke was practicing taijutsu, Itachi would leave him alone for an hour or two in order to let him figure out a new move on his own. After that time, the older Uchiha would come back to see how Sasuke was progressing. If Itachi felt that his younger brother hadn't improved or wasn't trying hard enough, he would say something along the lines of _"Cousin Obito had mastered that kick when he was a year younger than you." _Or, _"By the time she was your age, Cousin Kyoko was able to break a log that size completely in two." _Sasuke knew Itachi was really disappointed, however, if he mentioned Cousin Shisui during training sessions. Sasuke had no idea what exactly Shisui had been to his older brother, only that Itachi had apparently looked up to and admired him greatly. Asking about Shisui was the fastest way to get Itachi to change the subject away from the Uchiha Clan, even more so than asking about their parents.

However, it wasn't as if Itachi was an overly cruel teacher. When Sasuke succeeded at something, he would be met with a hand gently ruffling his hair, a gentle pat on the back, or even, sometimes, a tiny smile. These little signs, which let Sasuke know that his older brother was proud of him and his accomplishments, kept him working hard toward ever greater successes.

As he grew older, however, just making Itachi proud was no longer enough incentive for Sasuke. He was becoming increasingly more irritated at how Itachi always seemed to be a step ahead of him, no matter how hard Sasuke worked. He was always able to defeat Sasuke when they sparred. He never missed a target when they practiced throwing kunai. He was always able to jump a little higher, run a little faster, fight for a little longer. Sasuke felt as if just trying to get to his older brother's level was like trying to push their house to the top of Mt. Fuji. Actually _surpassing _Itachi would be a superhuman feat.

So there was an extra little bounce in his step that evening as Sasuke carried the cougar's paw back home, kept snugly in a pouch around his waist. This had been the first task that the younger Uchiha been assigned to do alone, without Itachi somewhere nearby, watching him with disapproving eyes. And not only had Sasuke succeeded, he hadn't sustained any injuries and would be home in time for dinner. He smirked slightly. Itachi would definitely be quite shocked to see that Sasuke had become so capable.

The door to their small home was cracked open, and the smell of cooking meat wafted in the air outside. Sasuke's stomach grumbled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten much besides a few handfuls of nuts and berries throughout the day. The younger Uchiha knocked on the door to let Itachi know he'd returned, then walked inside. It wasn't hard to find him, seeing as the house's interior was made up of only one large room. Sasuke's older brother was currently crouched over the fireplace between their two beds, turning some deer meat on a spit over the flames.

Itachi looked at his younger brother and nodded once in greeting. Only the curious look on his face let Sasuke know that he was interested in the results of the task he had assigned. Without a word, Sasuke reached into the pouch at his waist and pulled out the cougar's paw, holding it up with the pride and reverence people normally reserved for priceless jewels and family heirlooms.

For just a moment, Sasuke could have sworn he'd seen his brother's lips quirk upwards, just a bit. It might have been a trick of the firelight, however, because the younger Uchiha blinked, and Itachi's face was as stoic as ever. "You've done well, Sasuke," he said quietly, and Sasuke heard the pride in his brother's voice. "Killing a cougar requires skill and cunning, two qualities which you have proven to possess. It is time for your training to progress."

"So are you going to teach me some new fighting style?" Sasuke asked, curious to know what Itachi had in store for him.

"No. Tomorrow, we are going to Konohagakure."

* * *

There was a little town, if you could call it that, about a day and a half's walk from the Uchiha brothers' cottage. It was really more of a large clearing, where people gathered in front of the little wooden shacks they lived in so that they could trade with the families who farmed nearby. None of those families lived close to Itachi and Sasuke, however. The Uchiha brothers were the ones who found it a necessity to hide away in the densest part of the woods. Still, Itachi had been going to the town once a month for as long as Sasuke could remember. After all, there were some things that you just couldn't get from the wilderness, such as soap and material for clothing.

Itachi traded for everything they needed with meat and hides from the animals they hunted, or, if it was summertime, fresh vegetables and berries. The older Uchiha had a way with people who asked questions, Sasuke noticed. He was just pleasant enough, just charming enough, and just vague enough about details that nobody ever bothered to find out more about the two Uchiha brothers. The town's women had cooed and fussed over Sasuke when he was younger, and sometimes slipped him treats. The women still fussed over Sasuke now, actually, though they talked less about how cute he was and more about what a handsome young man he was becoming. Sasuke could have done without the cooing and fussing, but he didn't mind the treats.

Konohagakure had always been a mysterious place to Sasuke, as different from the little town he and Itachi visited as night was to day. He had never been there before, but Itachi had told him stories of what the city had been like before Danzou. As a child, it had seemed a grand place, full of excitement and adventure. Itachi told him that during Namikaze Minato's reign, Konohagakure was a worldwide center for learning and commerce. The city's tall buildings and domed roofs had gleamed like hundreds of jewels in the sun, and colorful banners hung from the windows of shops and buildings. People could walk the streets without fear, exchanging pleasant greetings and conversation as they went along.

That had all changed after Danzou had taken control of Konoha. He had walled off the best parts of Konohagakure for the demons, basically telling the humans of Konoha that he didn't give a fuck about whether they lived or died. Now, according to the traders in town who had been to the capital at some point in the past ten years, the humans who had formerly lived comfortable lives in Konohagakure were forced to live as poor beggars and thieves around its edges. The only people who made any kind of living for themselves were those who provided luxuries and goods for the demons.

Sasuke wasn't sure what he would find in Konohagakure. What exactly was Itachi's point in taking him to that place, the former home of their once-great clan? A mixture of excitement and nerves rolled around in his gut at the thought of actually going. It resulted in Sasuke's staying awake long into the night, despite his exhaustion from hunting earlier.

The next morning, Sasuke and Itachi dressed in the plain, black clothing and broad-brimmed rice paper hats commonly worn by human farmers and peasants. Since Konohagakure was too far away to walk, their first stop was the small town where they traded for supplies. Once there, they would need to hitch a ride with someone who had a cart, and was heading to Konohagakure. People often transported goods to and from the capital city, since the demons that lived there offered the best chances of turning a profit.

As they walked along, Itachi went over the rules and behaviors he expected Sasuke to conform to during the trip. This served to thoroughly aggravate the younger Uchiha, though in true Uchiha style, the only way Sasuke showed his displeasure was in a slight clenching of his jaw and a more pronounced coolness in his gaze. Why did Itachi insist on treating him like a child, when he'd proven himself a capable fighter in his own right?

"You are not to leave my side while we are in Konohagakure, Sasuke."

"Okay."

"Do not speak or make prolonged eye contact with anyone."

"Alright."

"You need to follow my lead and obey every order I give you without question."

"Hn."

"Sasuke." Itachi reached out and grabbed his younger brother's arm, effectively bringing them both to a stop. "Are you listening to me?"

_"Yes," _Sasuke gritted out between clenched teeth, keeping his gaze fixed on the dirt at his feet. "Don't talk to anyone, don't leave your side, and do whatever you tell me to. I get it, Itachi, I'm not stupid."

Itachi frowned down at his younger brother, and let out the slightest of sighs. "I'm only trying to protect you, otouto," he said. "I'm taking a huge risk just bringing you to Konohagakure. I just want to make sure you'll be safe - "

"I'm not five years old anymore," Sasuke grunted, wrenching his arm out of the other's grip. "I can take care of myself now." The younger Uchiha stormed on ahead down the path. After a moment, Itachi followed, still frowning at Sasuke's back.

They arrived in town to find an old woman hitching a pair of mules up to a wagon piled high with trade goods. "Excuse me, madam," Itachi said politely to her. "Are you by any chance going to Konohagakure?"

The old lady narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the two Uchiha brothers. "So what if I am?" She replied. "What's it to you?"

The woman had good reason to be wary. Since the demons never left Konohagakure, no one bothered to keep up and maintain the roads that connected the various parts of the nation to each other. Bandits and hitchhikers were a common problem, lurking along the crumbling roads or taking advantage of a stranger's kindness. These people would slit a trader's throat at a moment's notice, and take any goods for themselves.

"Well, I just thought that perhaps you'd like some company? An elderly lady like yourself, traveling the roads alone, would make a fine target for bandits," Itachi said, smooth and unruffled as ever.

The woman grunted as she placed a bridle over one of the mules' noses. "I ain't ever had no trouble before." She gestured to the seat of the wagon, where a polished wooden bow lay next to a stack of arrows. "I ain't afraid to use that, and I'm still a helluva shot, even after all these years."

"I can make it worth your while," Itachi said, reaching into the pouch at his waist and pulling out a small cloth bag. "There are some preserved vegetables here from our garden. Surely you could use a bit of extra food."

The old lady still looked suspicious. "I dunno," she said. "Who the hell are you two, anyway? You ain't traders, that's for damn sure. What's your business in Konohagakure?"

"I'm Byakuya, and this is Renji," Itachi said, with a gesture to himself and Sasuke. "We have relatives in Konohagakure that we haven't seen in a while, and the two of us thought we'd check in with them."

The old woman's eyes seemed to go strangely blank then, as if she were looking at something beyond the two Uchiha brothers. Sasuke had noticed that people did that sometimes, when Itachi talked to them. He had no idea how his brother did that, or even how to ask him about it.

The old woman was silent for a moment, apparently thinking Itachi's proposal over. Finally, she said, "Alright. Get in the wagon."

"Thank you very much, madam," Itachi said with a slight bow towards the woman. He and Sasuke clambered up into the wagon, making themselves as comfortable as possible between the piles of baskets and crates. The old woman got up to her seat at the front of the wagon a minute later. She clicked gently at the mules, snapped the reins, and they were off.

* * *

The ride to Konohagakure was uneventful. The old woman didn't talk, except to call out the occasional word of direction or encouragement to the mules. Itachi and Sasuke didn't talk much either. When the sun was at its highest point in the sky, the two brothers ate a brief lunch of some dried berries and venison Itachi had brought. Eventually, lulled by the rhythmic movements of the wagon, Sasuke drifted off to sleep.

He awoke a few hours later by a rough shake on his shoulder, courtesy of Itachi. "Come, otouto. We're here," he muttered. Sasuke yawned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, then climbed out of the wagon after his brother.

They had come to a stop outside a small cluster of wooden stalls, where a variety of wares were displayed. A small group of men had come forward to examine the wagon. "Brought us a new load of stuff, eh Grandma?" One of them asked, with a look in his eye like that of a hungry person brought before a rich feast. "Let us help you unload that."

"Ah, thank you," the old lady said, climbing down from the front of the wagon. "You two," she said sharply, pointing at Itachi and Sasuke. "If you ain't traders, I got no more business with you. Go on an' git, before there's trouble."

Itachi nodded and tossed the cloth bag of food he'd offered earlier at the old woman, who caught it with surprising ease. "For your trouble," he said.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was examining what was available for sale. The stands were loaded with all sorts of interesting metal contraptions he had never seen before. Even the things that were quite obviously rusting pieces of junk fascinated him.

"Hey kid, you lookin' to buy?" One of the men who had offered to help unload the old woman's wagon rushed to Sasuke's side. "You wouldn't believe some o' the stuff them demons throw away. Lot of it requires electricity, so it won't do ya much good, but I've got plenty o' gems here. For example," the man gestured to a square-shaped piece of metal with little knobs on the front of it. "This here's called a radio, and the batteries've still got some juice – "

"He's not interested." Itachi had suddenly appeared at Sasuke's shoulder, which he laid a firm hand on. "Come, otouto." He steered his younger brother away from the stalls, and towards the center of the city.

* * *

Over the years, Konohagakure grew to be a faded gray memory in Sasuke's mind. The outskirts of the city, the only part of it humans like Itachi and himself were allowed in, was a dismal and ruined place. Beggars squatted in towering buildings of crumbling metal and concrete. Children fought with dogs in the street for scraps of food. Women begged for aid to anyone who passed by, only to be roughly shoved away. The place reeked of sickness, of hunger, and of death.

However, one part of the once-great capital of Konoha remained in Sasuke's memory, remaining clear and bright as a summer's day over the course of time. It was the short glimpse he'd gotten that day of the center of Konohagakure, that opulent demon city which was walled off from the crumbling human sector.

Around the center of the city was a wall of smooth, thick concrete that towered far over Sasuke's head. All around the top of the wall was a row of long, pointed metal spikes, in order to deter any humans who might attempt to scale it. At the wall's northern side was a great gate of fine wood. Demon guards armed with rifles and grenades perched on high steel platforms above this gate, keeping a stern and watchful eye out for any trouble from below.

Then, there was the royal demon palace. Its many pointed spires and towers were the one thing that could just barely be seen over the great wall, and they were easily the grandest sight that Sasuke had ever seen in all of his thirteen years. Each individual tower, spire, and minaret was made of fine metals and stone – gold, silver, bronze, marble, obsidian, and more, some of which Sasuke couldn't name. And they all shone and sparkled and glimmered with a brilliance to rival the sun itself. The palace was a symbol of pure power. It put Sasuke in mind of the teeth of a great and beautiful beast, waiting to swallow the humans who milled about on the other side of the wall below.

At seeing the palace – or part of it, at least – the younger Uchiha was struck by the terrible injustice of it all. It was unfair that the demons got to live surrounded by such decadence and beauty while the humans starved and died in the streets. It wasn't right for the demons to enjoy all the benefits and comforts of modern technology, while Itachi and Sasuke were reduced to killing woodland animals with crude weapons for sustenance. But the worst part for Sasuke, the part that burned so strongly throughout his body to the point that it almost felt like a physical pain, was that somewhere inside that palace was the Demon Prince himself, Uzumaki Naruto, the last remaining legacy of the great King Minato. The Prince was probably gorging himself on fine delicacies, and lounging on pillows of silk and satin, surrounded by a horde of lovely courtesans. Naruto had to know what Danzou was doing to his human subjects, how terribly the bastard regent abused and neglected them. He might even know that Danzou had massacred almost all of the Uchiha.

But Uzumaki Naruto didn't care about any of that. There had never, to either Itachi's or Sasuke's knowledge, been even the slightest stirring of unease or discontent from inside the demon's part of Konohagakure, let alone from the Prince. And why should there be? Everyone inside lived peaceful and happy lives, uncaring of the humans they had once regarded as friends.

When Itachi and Sasuke left Konohagakure, Sasuke took away a bright and burning hatred, one much more intense than he had ever felt before. It served as a burning fuel inside of him, pushing him to train and to learn everything he could even harder than before.

For Sasuke hated all of the demons with a furious passion now, every single one of them. And he had an especial hatred for the great and useless Demon Prince Naruto.

* * *

**Author's Note****: Writing Itachi is hard. He's such a difficult character to get just right. I read a lot of the lovely and talented **dmnq8**'s work**** in order to try and get him just right. She writes the best damn Itachi ever.**

**This weekend, I'll be taking my annual sojourn to Somerset, New Jersey for AnimeNEXT! I'll be there all three days (Friday-Sunday), cosplaying as Tsunade. If any of you lovely readers are also attending and want to meet up, let me know! I love meeting **_**Naruto**_** fans.**

**Since I'm a notoriously slow editor, I'd appreciate the help of a beta reader in order to help me edit and get the chapters out faster. If you or someone you know is willing to beta read for me, shoot me a PM please?**

**REVIEW CORNER**** Thanks for Reviewing: **Kurami-chan, BushiNoNasake, BadButt94, toolazytosignin, foxykasumi, uchiha hinata21, Rosebunse, inouekurosaki26, Megusiq, Aryin, Rightnosarcasm, NightEatsDeath, April2006, Lonelylulaby, lo, , darkpetalz

**Keep those reviews a'comin'! They are the stuff that fuels my writing. **


	3. Reconnaissance

**Author's Note****: Ugh, this chapter was supposed to be out days ago. I was almost finished writing it when my laptop broke and I had to send it away for repairs. I had to re-type this entire chapter from the beginning on the desktop PC at my house. So I apologize for the lateness, everyone. My beta's computer is having problems as well, so I edited this chapter myself in order to not keep you lovely readers waiting. I guess it's just the week for computer problems, eh? **

**Oh my gosh, you guys are all such sweethearts. The reviews I've been getting have been absolutely lovely. It always makes my day to hear that people like this fic. :3**

**DISCLAIMER****: Since I am not a Japanese man named Kishimoto Masashi, I do not own the rights to **_**Naruto**_**. This is a work of fanfiction, and I make no money off of writing it.**

**_WARNINGS_****_:_ Some explicit language here and there, nothing major in this chapter.**

**You guys have waited long enough, on to the chapter!**

* * *

For the next few years, Sasuke trained. He spent countless hours in the clearing behind the cottage, diligently practicing as many taijutsu styles and moves as Itachi could teach him. Gone were the days when the older Uchiha had to scold his little brother to work harder or practice for longer. Now, Itachi simply stood at the edge of the clearing and watched, feeling pride radiate through him in waves as he watched Sasuke master every single move he was taught.

As Itachi had hoped, Sasuke had left Konohagakure with a definite purpose in mind. Sasuke no longer wanted to get strong for the sole purpose of pleasing his older brother, but because Sasuke himself wanted strength enough to meet his goal. This newfound purpose molded Sasuke into a more perfect fighter than Itachi ever could have made him. Simply learning a new fighting move was no longer enough for the younger Uchiha. He had to practice it again and again until he'd reached a level of perfection rivaled only by Itachi's own. More than once, Itachi had to coax his younger brother inside to eat and sleep, lest Sasuke collapse from exhaustion in the training field.

Sasuke didn't neglect his mind, either. At least once a week, Itachi would come in from hunting or tending the garden to see his younger brother asleep at the table, his head pillowed on stacks of Itachi's notes. The older Uchiha had written down everything he could remember about the Uchiha Clan from his own training - which was a lot, as Itachi had an excellent memory. Everything from which artery was the best to aim for in order to ensure a silent kill, to how to properly conduct a tea ceremony for visiting dignitaries, was in these notes. The clan's wisdom was in this way preserved, solely for Sasuke's education. Sasuke occasionally scribbled little notes of his own in the margins, drawing out hidden connections between very different and seemingly unrelated topics. It was clear that Sasuke had, to Itachi's immense pride, inherited the famed Uchiha intellect.

As Sasuke grew older, however, his relationship with Itachi grew more strained. The younger Uchiha grew more sullen and easily irritated as he advanced farther into his teenage years. He spent increasingly more time alone than with his older brother. If Itachi tried to help Sasuke with a fighting move, he would be pushed away. "I can do it myself!" Sasuke would yell, looking at Itachi with eyes burning with black fire.

No longer did the two brothers converse about their days over meals and in the quiet hours of the night before one of them drifted off to sleep. Although Sasuke had a healthy appetite, he treated mealtimes as an annoying but necessary interruption to his training. The younger Uchiha would eat quickly, his eyes focused on the bowl in his hands, before getting up to resume his training or studying. At bedtime, Sasuke would only say a terse "good-night" to Itachi before turning so that his back was facing the older Uchiha. Itachi missed the times when Sasuke was a carefree child who would climb into bed with him at night and ask for a story. These days, it seemed that Sasuke would rather eat pond scum than ask Itachi for a story. The older Uchiha had no idea how to raise a child, and no one he could turn to for help or advice. All Itachi could do was give Sasuke his space, and hope that his younger brother's behavior improved when puberty ended.

Sasuke grew more impatient with age as well, sparking fights between Itachi and himself on a weekly basis.

"So are we ever going to actually kill Danzou, or will we just hide out in this cottage like cowards for the rest of our lives?" Sasuke would ask, his brow wrinkled with frustration.

"Be patient," Itachi would reply, struggling to do the very same with his younger brother. Often, it was a losing battle. "We must wait until the time is right, or else it will mean our deaths."

"The time's _never_ right for you!" Sasuke would yell. "Or is it that you still think that I'm too weak to face Danzou?"

"Stop acting like a child, Sasuke!" Itachi would snap back, finally losing his grip on his patience. "If we were to go after Danzou now, you wouldn't last a minute! I don't want to lose the only family I have left!"

"Yeah, well I'd rather go out in a fight than die of old age and boredom in the middle of fucking nowhere!"

The fight would quickly escalate to a point where two brothers would find themselves outside, exchanging kicks and punches, wrestling and sometimes even biting each other. Itachi would always win, keeping Sasuke pinned to the ground until his younger brother ran out of energy to fight. As Sasuke became a better fighter, however, Itachi found himself nursing some nasty bruises of his own when the fighting ended. Afterwards, Itachi and Sasuke would tend to their wounds in silence and go to bed without speaking a word to each other for the rest of the night.

At some point during their fights, Itachi realized that a time would come when Sasuke would actually become stronger than he was. Sasuke had more raw talent for fighting than Itachi had ever had, and was incredibly bright as well. Considering his younger brother's current attitude towards him, however, Itachi didn't know whether to be proud or afraid of the moment when Sasuke surpassed him.

* * *

A few weeks after Sasuke's eighteenth birthday, Itachi left on his monthly trip to town, loading himself up beforehand with animal skins and meat to trade with. Sasuke elected to stay behind. For him, the excitement of going into town with Itachi had long since worn off. The women there kept trying to set him up with their marriageable daughters, and he couldn't so much as take a piss during the whole trip without Itachi breathing down his neck.

Sasuke didn't tell his older brother any of that, though. Instead, he told Itachi that he was staying behind in order to dry berries and pickle vegetables for the fast-approaching winter months. Since it was mid-September and the mornings and nights were starting to become chilly, it was an excuse Itachi accepted.

Normally, a trip into town took Itachi, traveling by himself, around two days. Sasuke spent most of this time training in the clearing behind the house, finding it much easier to practice without Itachi nearby. He was in such good spirits by the end of Itachi's first day gone that he even took a quick swim in the nearby lake, since the afternoons wouldn't be warm enough to do so in a few more weeks.

By the end of the third day Itachi had been gone, however, Sasuke was starting to worry. His brother had _never_ been home late from town before. Had Itachi been in some sort of accident? Was he lying somewhere along the road, hurt and in pain? Or even worse - had Danzou finally found out about their existence, tracked them down, and killed Itachi? Would he send someone after Sasuke next?

An hour after Sasuke had given up on trying to sleep and was sitting by the fire, looking out the window for Itachi, the door to the house slammed open. Sasuke's hand was halfway to the wooden kunai at his belt when he realized that Itachi had finally come home. The older Uchiha looked more serious than Sasuke had ever seen him before. There was a certain wildness to his gaze that was completely foreign to Itachi's otherwise calm, quiet nature.

"The hell have you been?" Sasuke demanded, not at all reassured by the way Itachi looked.

The older Uchiha ignored his brother, instead going to one of the wooden chests where they stored things and rummaging around for a few moments, finally pulling out fresh paper, quills, and ink.

"Hey, don't ignore me - !"

"Come to the table, otouto," Itachi interrupted. "It is finally time for us to move against Danzou."

Sasuke immediately shut up and went to his older brother's side at the large wooden table where the two of them ate and, in Sasuke's case, studied. His heart was pounding so hard that it felt as if it was going to come out of his chest. He'd spent his entire life training for this moment...could it finally have come at last?

"I've heard in town from a trader who was recently in Konohagakure that the Demon Prince is to have his mating ceremony next week," Itachi said. "This is an extremely important event, perhaps the most important since Danzou seized the reigns of power. Whoever the Prince may end up mating with, we can use them to our advantage."

Sasuke frowned slightly. He didn't much care about what happened to the Demon Prince - or any demon for that matter - but it was strange for Itachi to suddenly be switching his focus away from Danzou like this. "But if we kill the Prince's mate, won't the Prince die as well? Why are we suddenly out for him now?"

"You misunderstand me, Sasuke," Itachi said, looking intently at his younger brother. "I don't intend for us to kill Uzumaki, far from it. Rather, I believe that we can use the Prince's mate to get close to him."

"So what exactly is it that you want from him? Legal protection after we kill Danzou?"

Itachi hummed lightly. "Something like that."

"The fuck do you mean, 'something like that?' Either tell me what it is you want with the Prince, or - "

"And Sasuke," Itachi interrupted once more, "I want you to infiltrate the mating ceremony and find out who Uzumaki's mate is."

"Wha - really?" Sasuke was dumbstruck. Was Itachi really entrusting him with something of this importance? Was he talking to the same Itachi who had refused to let him out of his sight in Konohagakure five years earlier? "Why me?"

"I think that you are ready for this, otouto." Itachi's lips quirked slightly upwards. "You have grown over the years into a strong and capable fighter, as well as a brilliant analyst. If anyone can successfully infiltrate the royal demon palace, it's you."

Sasuke could only blink at Itachi, completely lost for words. This was the first time in the younger Uchiha's memory that his brother had actually acknowledged his strength. The younger Uchiha felt a surprising surge of goodwill towards his older brother. "Thanks..." he finally murmured quietly, causing Itachi's smile to broaden just a smidgen.

Together, the two brothers bent their heads over the table and immersed themselves in planning the infiltration.

* * *

Itachi didn't know much about demons, unfortunately. He had been in training when the Uchiha Clan was massacred, and so had never really gotten the opportunity to interact with demons on any sort of long-term basis. However, the one thing Itachi did know about demons, which he had of course taught to Sasuke, were their mating habits. These were taught early on to members of the Uchiha Clan, since any human who wished to work closely with demons needed to know about their mating habits. Mating was, after all, an important part of demon social life.

Demons didn't find their life partners in the same way that humans did. There was no courtship, no dating, no break-ups, and no weddings. From the time of their birth, demons were fated to belong with only one other demon as their mate. The two would share an extremely close, personal bond with each other for the rest of their lives. Two mates would know each other's physical and emotional states as well as they knew their own. They would share their entire lives together, with no secrets between them. Mated demons were so closely connected to each other, in fact, that if one of them died, the other would follow shortly afterwards.

Finding one's mate was an important part of any demon's life, but it was especially important to royal families. Who one's mate was could make or break political alliances in the demon world, and often affected the sorts of political decisions a family made. It was therefore common practice for royal families to hold elaborate mating ceremonies whenever a family member reached adulthood. These ceremonies were lavish affairs, on which much time and money were spent. During the ceremony, the demon of honor would sit at the head of the room, while all eligible demons of royal blood were brought before them, in the hopes that a bond would be formed and serve to strengthen a family's political position.

As Konoha's Prince, Uzumaki Naruto's mating ceremony had the potential to affect the entire nation. In order to find out who the Demon Prince's mate would be, Sasuke was to infiltrate the palace disguised as a human servant. Every morning, the servants left the palace in order to trade with the humans of Konohagakure for luxury items, such as jewels, perfumes, and silks. A thriving industry had built up around providing these items for the demons, since it was one of the few ways for humans to get enough food for themselves and their families. Itachi would procure a servant's garb for Sasuke - he was awfully vague about _how_ exactly he was going to do that, but Sasuke was unable to get his older brother to elaborate. Then, Sasuke was to go into the demon part of Konohagakure with the rest of the servants.

Once inside the palace, Sasuke would need to find a quiet place from which to watch the ceremony. Afterwards, he would need to find somewhere to hide inside the palace, where particularly nosy guards wouldn't find him and ask questions. In the morning, Sasuke would leave Konohagakure with the servants, slip away from them when the moment was right, and bring what he had learned back to Itachi. It sounded like a simple enough plan in theory, but both brothers knew that there were all sorts of things that could go wrong. Itachi and Sasuke spent many hours formulating numerous back-up plans should Sasuke run into trouble.

During this planning period, Sasuke had no idea how he felt about his older brother. On one hand, he was honored that Itachi had finally acknowledged his strength and entrusted him with such an important and dangerous task. Yet on the other hand, Sasuke was incredible frustrated that Itachi still didn't want to actually kill Danzou. The younger Uchiha hadn't been training for eighteen years simply for a reconnaissance mission. He would be damned if he was going to spend the next eighteen years of his life hiding out in the middle of nowhere while Itachi debated about what to do.

* * *

Itachi and Sasuke prepared to leave for Konohagakure a few days before the mating ceremony, allowing for ample traveling time. The morning of their departure, Sasuke was filled with nervous energy. Recon or not, he felt like this was the most important thing he had done with his life to date. It wasimperative that he be successful.

The two brothers dressed in the plain clothing and rice paper hats they always wore upon going to town, and Sasuke waited impatiently by the door while Itachi packed a large cloth bag full of food, water, and a few animal skins they could trade with in an emergency. As they set off, the younger Uchiha couldn't help glancing back every now and again at the tiny cottage he had called home for his entire life. He couldn't shake the nagging feeling that this would be the last time he would ever see it again. Sasuke chalked this up to nerves, however. _Come on, Uchiha,_ he mentally berated himself. _Get your head in the game._

The trip to town was spent in silence, Sasuke thinking over every single aspect of his mission, as well as the numerous back-up plans he and Itachi had created, as the two brothers leapt swiftly over the treetops. Just as they arrived at the edge of town, Itachi landed on the bough next to Sasuke and took hold of his younger brother's shoulder to stop him from continuing forward. "Wait, otouto," he said. "I have something that I want to give to you."

Itachi pressed something cool and metallic that he had taken from his waist pouch into Sasuke's hand. Looking at it, the younger Uchiha's eyes widened in shocked disbelief. He could hardly believe his eyes. Was Itachi _really _entrusting him with an item of such importance?

Itachi had given Sasuke one of the three precious kunai knives he had been able to salvage from the ruins of the Uchiha Clan home - the last of the clan's weapons. As a child, Sasuke had often looked inside the chest containing these three kunai, dreaming of the day when he would use them in a real fight. Itachi had forbidden him from touching them, let alone training with them, for his entire life. Until now.

The metal was blackened in a few places from exposure to the flames that had engulfed their home and kinsmen, but it still shone like a precious treasure in the light of the morning sun. The kunai's edges were perfectly sharp, and the Uchiha fan was emblazoned clearly on the flat of the blade. "Are...are you really...?" Sasuke trailed off, at a loss for words.

"Yes. Use it only if you absolutely must, Sasuke, and if that moment comes, use it wisely." With that, Itachi leapt gracefully from the tree and headed into town. Sasuke reverently tucked the kunai into his own waist pouch before following his brother.

* * *

Itachi and Sasuke were able to hitch a ride with an old man who was transporting a wagonload of wood and stone building materials to Konohagakure. Unlike the ornery old woman from five years ago, this man was more than happy for the extra security the two Uchiha brothers would provide. The only other person the man had with him was his grandson, who couldn't be more than ten years old. The man introduced himself as Tazuna, and his grandson as Inari.

The trip proved to be an irritating one for Sasuke. Inari bombarded him and Itachi with questions from his seat at the front of the wagon. _"Why are you guys going to Konohagakure? Where do you live? Are you traders too?"_ Itachi told the boy the usual story, that he and Sasuke were hunters visiting relatives in the capital. Sasuke had to admit that his older brother did a fine job of answering Inari's questions, while at the same time not divulging any important information. Eventually, the boy fell asleep, and Sasuke had a few brief moments of glorious quiet before Tazuna started talking. The old man switched between complaining about the state of the roads, which he'd apparently worked on before Danzou had taken control, and telling stories about his daughter and Inari. Sasuke wondered briefly if this was what hell was like - sitting in the back of a wagon traveling over cracked and broken roads, while strangers you didn't particularly care for yammered on endlessly.

By the time they finally arrived at Konohagakure, night had fallen, and Sasuke was only too happy to bid Tazuna and Inari good-bye. He could feel the beginnings of a headache coming on after all that chatter.

The night was cold and clear, a full moon shining down and bathing the crumbling buildings and streets around Itachi and Sasuke in a silvery light. It served to make their surroundings look even more washed-out than they actually were. Sasuke followed his older brother through the city, the two brothers cutting across alleyways and back streets in order to avoid any drunken, possibly violent people who might be wandering around at this late hour. The human part of Konohagakure was definitely not a place to be wandering around in after dark.

Eventually, Itachi found a building at the edge of town that still had most of its walls, and the two brothers bedded down for the night, wrapping themselves in animal skins in order to ward off the cold. Between his own nerves and the cracked, broken stone floor beneath him, Sasuke was certain that he wouldn't sleep at all that night. But he must have been more tired than he realized from traveling, because after only a few minutes of looking at the stars twinkling up in the night sky through the rather sizeable holes in the ceiling, Sasuke's eyes closed and he felt himself drifting off into unconsciousness.

* * *

The next morning dawned cold and clear, the sun shining brightly in a pale blue sky. Sasuke was rudely awakened by Itachi roughly shaking him. He sat up, irritably shoving his older brother's arm away. "I'm up already," he grumbled, yawning and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

After a short, rather unpleasant breakfast of cold pickled vegetables, Itachi and Sasuke made their way out of the old building and towards the high walls encompassing the demon part of Konohagakure. They moved swiftly and quietly through alleyways and across back streets, keeping their heads down so as to keep people from seeing their faces. They made their way to a cramped little space between two buildings right in front of the huge metal gates, where they crouched in the shadows and waited.

Sasuke's limbs were beginning to ache from staying still for so long in such small quarters, when finally the guards standing on their platforms above the gate made a signal and the gates opened with a loud, groaning creak. A group of twenty or so servants filed out. They each wore simple, hooded white robes, _tabi_ socks, and _geta_. All of them kept their hoods up and their heads down, walking along with quick, mincing steps. They reminded Sasuke of a herd of timid sheep.

If the servants were sheep, then the three demon guards accompanying them were large, dangerous, and heavily-armed sheepdogs. Each of them wore a cold, stony expression that would have made any statue proud. The guards were all outfitted in heavy leather armor with long, deadly-looking swords strapped to their backs. They all held large guns as well. Looking at them, it was small wonder that there weren't any humans in the street as the servants walked by.

"I'm going to get a servant's robe for you now," Itachi whispered. "_Don't move _from this spot until I return, all right?" With that, the older Uchiha slipped quietly out of their hiding place and around the corner of a building, disappearing from sight before Sasuke could even open his mouth.

Sighing, the younger Uchiha shifted around to try and get more comfortable while he waited for Itachi. Sasuke could only hope that his older brother would be back before his legs went completely numb.

* * *

Itachi moved like a shadow among the spaces between and behind buildings, becoming virtually invisible as he followed the servants and their guards. The older Uchiha needed to wait for exactly the right moment to strike, lest he be shot down where he stood by the guards. He noticed that one of the servants, who looked to be around Sasuke's age, was walking slightly behind the group. The boy was dragging his feet slightly, and Itachi thought he even saw him put his hand up to stifle a yawn once or twice. Itachi smirked slightly. _Perfect. If he's tired, it will make it even easier for me to get his robe._

The group was nearing the trading post by the western end of the wall, and Itachi knew that he had to move quickly. His opportunity came when the group passed by the dilapidated wall of a building the older Uchiha was currently crouched behind. Itachi waited patiently, listening to the tramp of boots and the soft click-clacking of _geta_ against the street, until he finally saw the straggling boy pass by. He darted out from his hiding place, lightning-quick, and grabbed the boy about the waist, quickly yanking him back into Itachi's hiding place.

The servant tried to cry out, but was prevented from doing so by Itachi's hand pressed tightly over his mouth. The older Uchiha's other arm pressed the boy firmly against his body to prevent him from escaping. It helped greatly that the servant was slight and lacking the intense martial arts training Itachi had gone through.

The boy was pale and trembling with fear as his eyes unwittingly met his captor's gaze. The second he did, however, the servant desperately wished he hadn't. Itachi's eyes were a hellish shade of red, three black tomoes swirling almost lazily about his pupils, merging together as they spun. The boy's eyes went wide with terror, and he resumed his struggles anew.

_"Mangekyou Sharingan," _Itachi whispered, and the servant boy knew no more.

* * *

Sasuke couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief when Itachi returned with a bundle of white cloth in his arms, since it meant that he could finally stand up again. The two brothers hurried behind a nearby building, where Itachi hurriedly thrust the disguise into Sasuke's arms. "Hurry up and put this on," the older Uchiha whispered, before turning around in order to watch for anyone coming down the street.

Sasuke hurriedly removed his own clothing and slipped into the robe, _tabi_, and _geta_. "OK, I'm done," he whispered. Itachi turned back around and cast a critical eye over him, briefly straightening the hem of the robe and pulling the hood up over Sasuke's head, before nodding approvingly.

"You'll do," he muttered. "Now hurry, the rest of them are probably at the trading post already. I'll see you tomorrow." With that, Itachi shoved Sasuke out from behind the building and into the street.

Taking a deep breath in order to steady his nerves, Sasuke began making his way towards the western end of the demons' wall.

* * *

**Author's Note****: I promise that Naruto will be in the next chapter! He'll show up at the very beginning of the next chapter, in fact. This part's already around ten pages in Microsoft Word, and I didn't want to make it even longer.**

**REVIEW CORNER**** Thanks for Reviewing: **Lady Spain, bridmatt, gota gelada, foxykasumi, borninthedarkness, BadButt94, uchiha hinata21, JuliaUchiwa, inouekurosaki26, darkpetalz, Rosebunse

**A huge thank you goes out to **BadButt94**, who has graciously agreed to beta this fic for me once her computer is repaired.**

**Keep those wonderful reviews coming, everyone! :D**


	4. Palace

**Author's Note****: This chapter is the first one I've written on my new laptop. And it took forever to write, too. That's not because of the laptop though, this chapter was just a hard one for me to write. Lots of descriptions. :/**

**Seriously you guys, your reviews have all been absolutely amazing. :D I really appreciate all the support. I know that sometimes it might not seem like it, but reviews really _do_ help me to write faster. Thank you all so much!**

**DISCLAIMER:_ Naruto_ is the property of Kishimoto Masashi. This is a work of fanfiction and I make no money off of writing it. (Unless I decide to pull a _50 Shades of Grey_, of course...but I actually have standards, so no).**

**WARNINGS:**** Slight profanity, nothing else for now.  
**

**Hey, we finally get to meet Naruto this chapter! Hooray!**

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto, the Demon Prince of Konoha, only descendant of King Namikaze Minato, and next in line to inherit the throne - officially, anyway - was not having a very good day. In fact, Naruto would go so far as to say that he was having the worst day of his life so far.

Today was the prince's eighteenth birthday, which meant that he was biologically a fully-grown man now. It also meant that from this moment forward, Naruto was capable of forming a mating bond with another demon. This would normally be a time of great excitement for any other demon, but not for Naruto. For someone like him, whose position at the royal court was made up solely of an important name and lineage, such a thing would only be a liability. If someone finally decided that Naruto had outlived his usefulness, they could kill his mate, thereby causing the prince to die as well. Mating another demon would, in Naruto's opinion, be like painting a giant target on his back. Just the thought of it filled him with cold dread.

Unfortunately for Naruto, Danzou had decided to hold a lavish mating ceremony for him, which was the tradition for a royal family member turning eighteen. The old man had been planning said ceremony since Naruto's birthday last year. And there was nothing the prince could say or do about it. Danzou was the one who held all the power in court. Danzou was the one with all the royal demon families firmly under his thumb. Danzou was the one who ran things in Konoha. So if Danzou wanted to hold a mating ceremony for him, then all Naruto could do was suck it up and deal.

This morning, the prince had been woken up at five AM and taken downstairs to the dining hall, where he'd sat in front of a slowly cooling bowl of spiced porridge and listened to one of Danzou's lackeys drone on and on about how Naruto was supposed to act and behave during "this momentous and incredibly important occasion." The prince didn't remember a word of it afterwards. He'd been too busy trying not to fall asleep in his food and avoiding eye contact with anyone else in the room. Since mating bonds were formed when two mates first made eye contact with each other, Naruto had decided to try his hardest not to make eye contact with anyone, unless he was forced to at the ceremony. Which, unfortunately, was quite likely.

After the lackey had _finally_ finished speaking, Naruto was ushered back to his suite for what must have been the shortest bath in recorded history. He'd only just stepped into the tub, when a knock at the door informed the prince to the arrival of his personal servant, Haruno Sakura. Naruto was forced to leave the warm sanctuary of his bathroom in order for Sakura to dress him in an elaborate and, in his opinion, unnecessarily complicated kimono.

Luckily for Naruto, however, Sakura wasn't just his servant. She was also one of the very few people in his world who the prince could honestly call his friend. Sakura was also a human, which meant that it was alright for Naruto to meet her eyes. No demon in all of recorded history had ever mated with a human before, so the prince didn't need to worry. Sakura had been kind enough to let him actually take his bath, muttering all the while about "getting woken up early to do this when he isn't even _ready_ yet, what are those demons in charge of staff _thinking_..."

After his bath, Naruto had taken one look at the many yards of fabric in Sakura's arms that made up the kimono he was supposed to wear, and had made a run to get out of his suite. It had taken Sakura an hour of coaxing, a piping hot bowl of ramen from the kitchens, and a few knocks to the prince's head - Sakura was unbelievably _strong_, for a human woman - before Naruto agreed to stand still and allow his friend to dress him. Currently, Naruto was standing in the sitting room of his suite, frowning as Sakura draped, tied, and pinned fabric around his body. And he'd been doing so for the past two hours. His legs were screaming in protest.

"Naruto, will you stop _squirming_ already?! You keep jostling the pins loose," Sakura muttered, pale green eyes narrowing at the prince in frustration. Her short hair, the soft pink color of cherry blossoms in the springtime, stood out against the plain white robe she and all the other servants wore.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan," Naruto said. He felt bad for taking his frustrations out on his friend. It wasn't Sakura's fault that he had to wear a stupid outfit and sit through a long, nerve-wracking mating ceremony. "I just really don't want to do this."

"Which part don't you want to do?" Sakura asked gently, as she began wrapping the obi around Naruto's waist. "Go to the ceremony, wear the kimono, or stand in one place for so long?"

Naruto smiled slightly. Sakura knew him like the back of her hand. "And that's why this has got to be the worst birthday in history. I mean, Danzou's a prick for waking me up at five AM, but only a truly cold-hearted bastard would force me to wear something like _this_. " Naruto tugged gently at one of the long, billowing sleeves of his kimono with an expression of obvious distaste.

"Stop it." Sakura slapped Naruto's hand away from the sleeve. "I just finished fixing that, don't mess it up." The pink-haired girl finished tying the ends of Naruto's obi into an intricate knot. "There, you're all done." Sakura carefully turned the prince around to face the ornately-framed, full-length mirror on the wall.

Naruto stared at his reflection. Surprisingly enough, he didn't look bad. The kimono itself was actually quite beautiful, made entirely of thick, high-quality silk that Danzou must have traded a lot for. It was a deep, rich red color, perfect for the representative of a nation that called itself the Land of Fire. The hem was black, with stylized tongues of black flame stitched in. The wide obi was the rich gold color of a candle flame. Stitched onto the back and along the sleeves was the stylized leaf symbol of Konoha. Naruto almost didn't recognize himself. In this kimono, he actually looked...regal, like the way a king should look. It was a far cry from the bright orange and black pants and jacket that the prince usually wore.

Behind him, Sakura was smiling. "See? You clean up surprisingly well, Naruto. Now get in the bedroom and sit down. I still have to brush your hair, and we're running out of time."

Naruto followed the pink-haired girl's orders, taking slow and careful steps into the bedroom and sitting down in front of his dresser, which had a large mirror above it. The kimono might look nice, but it was also incredibly restrictive and complicated. The fabric was wrapped and tucked around him so many times that the prince couldn't walk as fast as he normally could, and he had to hold his arms at a certain angle to keep the sleeves from trailing on the floor. He marveled at how Sakura was able to get it to stay on him in the first place.

Sakura appeared behind Naruto, and began to attack his hair with a brush. "Ow, holy shit!" Naruto yelped, trying to pull away from her as much as the kimono would allow, which wasn't very far. "Are you _trying_ to pull all my hair out, Sakura-chan?!"

"Stop being such a baby," Sakura chuckled, continuing her assault on his head. "I have to make sure that your hair looks at least somewhat presentable today."

Sighing, Naruto studied his reflection in the mirror, wincing slightly as Sakura attacked a particularly stubborn knot. Bright, azure blue eyes set in a round face that had only recently lost the last of its baby fat looked back at him. Spikes of hair, the same bright yellow as the sun on a springtime morning, flopped over his forehead and around his ears, sticking up slightly in the back. On each of his cheeks were three slight scars that resembled whiskers - physical evidence of Naruto's being the Jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi.

"There. That's the best I can do." Sakura finally set down the brush and reached around Naruto to pull open the topmost dresser drawer. "The last thing you need is your crown. I was explicitly instructed this morning to make sure you wore it."

The pink-haired girl carefully removed one of the most precious and renowned items in all of Konoha: the Crown of the Demon King. Only Naruto was allowed to wear it - even though Danzou was the power behind the throne, he was still officially only a temporary regent for Naruto. There would have been talk if he tried to wear something that was reserved explicitly for the Demon Kings of Konoha. The crown resembled the forehead protectors worn by soldiers in the Konoha Army. However, the soldiers' forehead protectors were made of a plain and durable silver-colored metal, in order to protect against head injuries. The Crown was made of a fine, buttery gold, made to catch the light and shine like a flame. The Leaf of Konoha was carved into the front, surrounded by small, sparkling rubies. Since it was so rare and valuable, Naruto was only allowed to wear the Crown at official state functions. He'd only worn it a handful of times in his entire life.

The cool metal gently kissed the prince's forehead as Sakura tied it around his head with a length of dark silk. Naruto's eyes fixed on it in the mirror, and he frowned slightly. The prince had never actually believed himself worthy of wearing the Crown. It was a symbol meant for demons like his father, strong and wise rulers who had led Konoha with honor. Naruto was merely a symbol of Danzou's regime, to be paraded around in front of the Court in order to give the old man some legitimacy. Just thinking about it made bile rise in his throat. If only there were _something_ he could do...

Naruto was brought abruptly out of his musings by a sharp knock at the door to his suite. "Who is it?" He asked.

"Sai, here to escort Naruto-sama down to the Throne Room for his mating ceremony," came the very official-sounding response.

Sai was a member of a small and highly elite military unit called Root, which took orders from and answered to only Danzou. He'd been assigned as personal guard to Naruto since the prince was thirteen. Originally, Naruto had been very disappointed with him. When the prince had been told by Danzou that he would be assigned a guard, Naruto had been expecting a large, gruff man whom he would have great fun sneaking away from and playing pranks on. He certainly wasn't expecting the wiry and pale Sai, with his fake smiles and quiet demeanor. Sai didn't seem to speak much to anyone, other than the occasional greeting or sometimes, when pressed, some polite conversation. He'd been absolutely no fun at all.

Over the years, however, Sai had slowly been won over by the prince's strong convictions and ever-present good humor. Despite his current powerless situation, Naruto was determined to someday become King. He wanted use his power to protect those he held dear, and to make sure that all of his subjects would be treated with equality and respect. Sai had grown to admire, and eventually respect, the prince's strong will. Strangely enough, he'd grown to _like _Naruto as well. Sai had started to genuinely smile around his young charge, and to hold actual conversations with him. The Root member had gone from guarding Naruto to being his closest friend and confidant.

Normally, Naruto would have enthusiastically gone to open the door himself and greet Sai. But not now that his situation had changed. Every demon in the palace, including Sai, was now a potential mate. So the prince did the only thing he felt he could do in the situation - squeak with fear and hide behind Sakura. "Don't come in, I'm naked!" Naruto shouted, trying and ultimately failing to keep a note of panic out of his voice.

Sakura rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Come in, Sai-san!" She called out. "Naruto's decent. He's only failing to act like a responsible adult."

The door to the suite was gently opened, and Sai walked into the bedroom. "Sakura," he nodded politely to the pink-haired girl, "could you please get Naruto to come with me? I'm afraid there will be serious repercussions if he isn't in the Throne Room on time."

"_Naruto_." Sakura swiftly stepped aside, leaving Naruto exposed to Sai's gaze. The prince "eep"-ed, and quickly looked down at the floor. "You need to stop this. I know you don't want a mate, but you're being ridiculous. What are you going to do, avoid looking at everyone forever?"

"If I have to," Naruto said stubbornly, still gazing adamantly at the carpet.

"I can't believe this - " Sakura sighed harshly in annoyance, but whatever else she might have said was cut off by Sai holding up a hand in front of her face.

"Naruto-sama," he said gently, as if speaking to a frightened animal. "Please, look at me. What will it look like if you refuse to look at anyone in court? What do you think it will look like to Danzou-sama?"

Mentioning Danzou had done the trick. Slowly, Naruto's gaze lifted from the floor to meet Sai. For several long moments, coal black met bright azure as the two men looked at each other. It was so silent that one could have heard a pin drop. Not even Sakura dared to breathe.

Then, for the first time that day, Naruto broke out into one of his trademark huge grins. "Yes!" He cried, trying to jump for joy and nearly tripping over his kimono in the process, causing Sakura to giggle. "Sai isn't my mate! I'm still safe! This is awesome, right guys?"

For a brief moment, hurt flickered across Sai's face before the Root member's lips and eyes quickly morphed into a tiny smile that was obviously fake. Normally Naruto would have picked up on the expression immediately and called him out on it, but the prince was so relieved at Sai's not being his mate that he didn't notice. "Of course," the Root member said quietly.

"I guess we should get going then, huh," Naruto said, the joy visibly draining from his face at the thought of the ceremony ahead of him. "Or else Danzou's going to have the entire palace guard dragging me out here."

"Yes, we should be leaving now, Naruto-sama," Sai agreed. "Your mating ceremony will be satrting in only half an hour."

Naruto made a face like he'd just swallowed something disgusting. "I'll see you later then, Sakura-chan," he said. "With any luck, my mate won't even be in Konoha."

Sakura gently touched the prince's shoulder. "Don't be nervous, OK? I'm sure that everything will turn out alright."

With a last smile and wave to his pink-haired friend, Naruto walked out of his suite, closely followed by Sai. The young prince was oblivious to the events that would soon transpire, and which would irrevocably change his life forever.

* * *

Sasuke managed to catch up with the palace servants just as they had finished up their trading for the day. The bulky demon guards kept a sharp watch for any trouble, gripping their huge guns tightly. The human servants were gathering in a tight, nervous little group around the guards. All of them were holding bundles or baskets or small crates full of things to take back to their demon masters.

Sasuke's relief at finding the servants before they had retreated back behind the wall was quickly eclipsed by a rush of anxiety when the dark-haired boy realized that he wasn't holding anything. If the guards noticed that he was empty-handed, some very angry questions were sure to be asked. Sasuke could be found out and killed before he'd even caught sight of the Demon Prince.

Forcing himself to stay calm and think, Sasuke looked around for something he could grab quickly. He caught sight of a few broken pieces of asphalt lying on the ground near his foot. Casting a quick glance around to make sure no one was looking, the Uchiha quickly snatched them up. As long as no one looked too closely and Sasuke was careful to keep his hands tucked away in the long sleeves of his robe, then it would appear that he was carrying something back to the palace as well.

"Oy! You there!" One of the demon guards shouted at Sasuke. "Get over here!" Not wanting to anger the guards, the dark-haired boy hurried to join the servants, making sure that his hood was pulled down low enough to cover his face.

The guard glared at Sasuke for a moment, but didn't comment further. "Alright, everyone here? Good. We're going back." The human servants were silent as they started walking, flanked on each side by the guards. Sasuke made sure to keep his head down, matching his pace to the small, quick steps of the others. His heart was pounding so hard in his chest that he was sure the guards would hear it and stop him, but they reached the palace gates without incident.

In front of those great metal gates, Sasuke felt impossibly small. The two guards stood impassively on their platforms above, looking down on the group of human servants and demon guards as they held their rifles. The thought of actually passing through those gates had Sasuke feeling strangely excited. He had always wondered what was hidden behind those great concrete walls, where Konohagakure was still a pristine and opulent city. Now, he would finally get to see it for himself.

" Kotetsu, Izumo! Open 'em up!" One of the guards shouted. At a signal from one of the demons on the platforms, the great gates began to open, filling Sasuke's ears with loud creaks and groans.

In only a few minutes, which felt like forever in Sasuke's tense state, the gates were opened and the Uchiha was walking through them with the other servants. He was now in Konohagakure, with the entrance closing loudly behind him once more.

Sasuke had to force himself to keep his head down, lest he start gazing at his surroundings open-mouthed with wonder andruin his cover. Nevertheless, the dark-haired boy kept sneaking quick peeks underneath his hood as he went along. What he was seeing right now was Konohagakure as it truly was, instead of the ruined buildings and streets outside the walls. It was a sight to behold.

The streets were neatly paved cobblestones that led past rows of neat, two-story houses made of wood or stone. All of them had painted shutters and sloping, tiled roofs. The lawns in front of each home were neatly manicured squares, and some of the larger ones had flower beds or well-groomed hedges. None of the homes were overly large, yet they still felt like mansions to Sasuke, who had spent his entire life sharing a one-room cottage with his brother.

As they drew nearer and nearer to the palace, the homes grew larger and more elaborate. They were three or four stories now, made of smooth polished stone and many bright glass windows. The yards had fountains, marble statues, or even bushes trimmed into the shapes of animals. Some of these houses even had balconies and minarets. Sasuke could hardly believe that such places even existed. To live surrounded constantly by such grandeur, never having to worry about finding enough food to get through the winter...it had to be paradise.

The palace itself took Sasuke's breath away. The building itself was made entirely of marble and edged with gold. It shone in the sun like a glorious, white-hot flame, inspiring awe and respect from any who gazed upon it. The many metals and stones of its spires and towers rose up towards the sky, looking like brightly colored beams of light. This palace was easily the grandest thing Sasuke had ever seen in his life. To the dark-haired boy, it represented the beauty and might Konoha had once possessed, and which it could have again, once Danzou was gone.

Sasuke followed the group as they turned off the main cobblestone path onto a smooth stone walkway. They passed magnificent, lush green parks as they grew close to the buildings, filled with more varieties of trees and flowers than Sasuke had known even existed. Between the gently swaying boughs of these trees the Uchiha could catch glimpses of great fountains and pools of clear, sparkling water. It seemed that everything in this part of Konohagakure was cleaner and more beautiful, down to the very air itself. Sasuke had known that the demons lived in splendor, but he still hadn't been prepared for just how wonderful it was inside the walls. It was almost enough to take his breath away.

They passed rows of guards standing in neat lines by the palace's front gates, which were made of finely carved oak and had artfully placed trails of ivy growing across them. The stylized Leaf of Konoha was emblazoned in gold on these gates. No one so much as batted an eyelash as the servants and their guards walked past. The gates were opened for them, and just like that, Sasuke was inside the palace.

The servants gathered together in the center of a large, round room with a shiny tiled floor. It was emptier than Sasuke had expected, with only two wooden vases full of flowers flanking the door at the far end of the room. Light flooded in through the windows, high above Sasuke's head.

A smaller side door that Sasuke hadn't noticed until now swung open, and a large man strode out of it. Though it didn't appear that this man was a soldier, he certainly had the body for it, heavily muscled and standing several inches above the guards who had escorted Sasuke and the servants. But what really drew Sasuke's eye were the two long, thick scars that crossed the man's broad face, sweeping over both his cheeks and part of his lip. Sasuke wondered at what sort of horrible accident or fight that this man had been in to cause such gruesome wounds.

The man stood regarding the group before him with dark, intense eyes, his large arms crossed over his chest. "You can leave now," he barked at the guards, who quickly scurried off through the door that the scarred man had entered through. Sasuke didn't blame them. The scarred man was pretty intimidating.

"Alright," the scarred man barked out at the servants, "as all of you know, today is the day of our Prince's mating ceremony. Nobles and other high-ranking demons will be coming from all over Konohagakure, and I've got orders from Danzou-sama to make sure that _everything. goes. right._" He barked out the last three words with enough force to make some of the smaller servants jump. "So if _any_ of you displease _any_ of the important demons tonight in _any_ way, you're getting kicked out of this palace faster than you can say 'sorry." You'll be living the rest of your life rooting around for garbage to eat along with the rest of the human trash outside these walls! Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

"Yes, Morino-san," the servants all chorused, in voices practically trembling with fear. Sasuke, however, didn't so much as bat an eyelash. He'd grown up with Itachi, and this Morino guy didn't have _anything_ on how intimidating the older Uchiha could be.

Morino gestured roughly for around half of the servants to come forward. "You'll be serving the guests today," he told them. "Leave your stuff from the market by the door, and follow me. I'll instruct you on what to do. The rest of you, wait here until I come back."

The servants Morino had selected hurried after him through the door flanked by the vases of flowers. Sasuke followed as well, unnoticed. The other servants were apparently too afraid of Morino to focus on anything other than the floor.

When he passed through the doors, Sasuke found himself in what could only be the palace throne room. It was the only logical place he could be, since every available surface was positively dripping with beauty and refinement. Unlike the rest of the palace so far, the walls and floor of the this room were made of highly polished teakwood. Large, floor-to-ceiling windows looked out onto the lush green of the castle grounds. Several long, low banquet tables were laid out in the center of the room on top of colorful silk carpets. Large velvet pillows for the guests to sit on while eating lined each table. Skillfully carved stone pillars, laid out in a circle around the edges of the room, stretched up to the high, domed ceiling.

None of that held a candle, however, to the two thrones at the head of the room. They were both incredible pieces of workmanship, and were also both very different from each other. One throne was tall and narrow, made of what looked like a single, carved piece of ebony. The back of it stretched up almost as high as the pillars holding up the ceiling. The second throne was shorter, and made entirely of gold, lined with red velvet and with a red spiral design carved into the back. These thrones were clearly meant to impress and attract people's attention to the two people sitting in them - Danzou and Uzumaki, in this case.

As much as Sasuke wanted to simply stand and stare at the finery around him, he needed to find a place to hide, and quickly. Morino was currently leading the servants he'd chosen through the throne room like a group of nervous ducklings, and his back was facing Sasuke. Seizing his chance, the Uchiha hurried behind one of the pillars at the far end of the room. Half-hidden behind the thrones, this pillar was mostly cloaked in shadow. As long as he stayed very still and very quiet, Sasuke would be able to escape any notice while still keeping an eye on the ceremony. For now, all there was to do was sit and wait.

* * *

Sasuke had been sitting for what felt like forever before the mating ceremony actually started. In reality it was probably only a few hours, but during that time nothing happened except for a few servants coming in to give everything a last-minute dusting. That had caused the Uchiha a brief moment of panic, but luckily for him none of them bothered cleaning the pillars.

Just as Sasuke's back and legs were starting to ache from the pain of sitting in one spot for so long, the human servants came filing back into the room, led by Morino. "Remember your stations!" He barked out at them. "Those of you assigned to serving food need to bring out platters for each guest the moment they arrive! The rest of you need to stand to the side and be ready should anyone require your services. _Do not_, under any circumstances, draw attention to yourselves or get in anyone's way! Have I made myself perfectly clear?!"

"Yes, Morino-san," the servants all chorused dutifully.

"I hope that no one gives me any cause to terminate their employment this afternoon," Morino warned one last time, before going to sit on a pillow in an unobtrusive corner of the room. Clearly the scarred man was not one of the important guests this evening, and was only present in order to supervise the servants and make sure that things ran smoothly.

A few minutes later Sasuke heard the sound of the palace gates being opened. Groups of demons started filing into the throne room in groups of three or four. Each group was escorted to a seat at one of the banquet tables by a servant. Everyone coming in was dressed to the nines. The men wore crisp tuxedos and polished dress shoes, while the women wore elaborate and often low-cut gowns. Everyone's hair was perfectly trimmed and coifed, and the women's faces were perfectly made-up. Judging by appearance, this afternoon's event was clearly of quite a bit of importance, just as Itachi had said.

Just as the last guests had been seated and served food and drink on silver platters and goblets, a man walked up to the front of the room and cleared his throat loudly. He was dressed in simple clothing and seemed fairly unobtrusive, with darkly tanned skin, brown hair tied back into a short ponytail, and a prominent scar over the bridge of his nose. Yet the moment this man began to speak, all the previously lively and happy chatter in the room stopped, to be replaced by only a few quiet murmurings. Everyone in the room gave this man their full attention.

"Announcing the guests of honor this evening," the man stated, loudly and clearly. "The young lords and ladies of Konoha, one of whom may have the honor of becoming our beloved Prince's mate this very afternoon!"

There was a smatter of polite applause from the guests, and then the brunet man stood aside and began to call out names. As he rattled off each name, a young man or woman, each of whom looked to be around Sasuke's age, entered the room and was seated at the banquet table closest to the throne. Each of these people were dressed in finery that spoke of the wealth and power their families possessed.

Sasuke could tell just how powerful each noble family was by the way in which their representatives were treated by the other guests as they entered. More powerful and influential families were given more respectful greetings. For example, when the brunet man announced the arrival of "Lord Inuzuka Kiba," there were only a few nods of acknowledgement and a brief smattering of polite applause. However, the entire room got to their feet and stood respectfully when "Lord Hyuuga Neji and Lady Hyuuga Hinata" were announced. Sasuke could only imagine the kind of political games and intrigue each noble family had to play in order to keep themselves relevant in Konoha politics. Just the thought of it caused him to grimace.

After the last guest was seated and served their meal, the room once again broke out into lively chatter. The demons ate and generally seemed to enjoy themselves, while the brunet man who had announced the young guests of honor held a brief conversation with a few guards in one corner of the room. Sasuke stayed as still and quiet as he could against the pillar, hoping that no one inadvertently looked in his direction.

Finally, the brunet man walked back to the front of the room and cleared his throat once more. This time all chatter stopped completely as the guests fixed their eyes on him. The throne roomed practically buzzed with silent expectation.

The brunet announced, "Please stand for the entrance of our beloved Demon Prince, Uzumaki Naruto, and our Lord Regent, Shimura Danzou."

* * *

**Author's Note****: I just love writing Sakura as Naruto's bestie. Unlike most SauNaruSasu fans, I actually _like_ Sakura. There should probably be some sort of support group for that, actually: "Hi, I'm a SasuNaruSassu fangirl, and I like Sakura..." ^_^ And the one-sided SaiNaru is starting to rear its ugly head as well. I'm sorry, Sai sweetie. **

**We'll be getting to the smutty bits pretty soon now - either in the next chapter or the one after that. ;) Stay tuned, and remember that reviews make me squee!**

**REVIEW**** CORNER Thanks for Reviewing:**grumpikachu, lo, gota geleda, natsumefruit, darkpetalz, JuliaUchiwa, franchan27, uchiha hinata21, foxykasumi, Rosebunse


	5. Ceremony

**Author's Note****: Sorry for the lateness of this chapter, and for keeping you lovely, wonderful readers in the dark for so long. I've started playing Skyrim again, and...well. That game is a huge time waster. (IT'S SO GOOD!) Anyway, better late than never, right?**

**We've finally arrived at the meat of this story, and interesting things are starting to happen! I'm excited. :D**

**I apologize if I missed replying to some of your reviews. I do my best to respond to each of my reviewers, but I am only one person, and sometimes a few people slip through the cracks. Each review is greatly appreciated, though - believe it! ;)**

**DISCLAIMER:****I offered to duel Kishimoto Masashi for the rights to _Naruto_, but he refused. So I still own nothing, and make no money off of the writing of this fanfiction. Poop.**

**WARNINGS: Language, and some slight sensuality. No actual sex yet, but definitely heavy touching and talk of penises. ;)**

* * *

Naruto's stomach was filled with a mixture of icy dread and roiling nerves as he walked with Sai down the long hallway that lead to the throne room. It felt a bit like he'd just eaten a bad bowl of very cold ramen, and his stomach was making him pay dearly for this error. But Naruto would be damned if he let anyone know how he was feeling at the moment, and so he adamantly kept from looking directly at anyone passing him by. The prince's blue eyes flitted restlessly from the showy red carpet, to the portraits of cold-faced demon nobles from centuries past hanging on the walls at neat intervals. This strategy of avoiding eye contact in order to disguise his feelings was something Naruto had perfected over the years, during the many royal ceremonies and less important council meetings he'd been forced to attend. The prince wished that he could pull off the blank, smiling mask Sai used, but Naruto's own feelings had an unfortunate tendency to show on his face, no matter how hard he tried to keep them under wraps.

Naruto and Sai were nearing the entrance of the throne room now, marked by large double doors with the Konoha Leaf imprinted on them in gold. The prince's heart was beating hard enough to rival even the largest set of drums. He swallowed hard, thankful that he hadn't had much to eat today.

"Naruto!" A concerned voice called out quietly. It belonged to a slim man with dark brown hair pulled back into a short ponytail and a broad scar across the bridge of his nose, who quickly went to the prince's side.

Naruto looked up, and couldn't help the huge smile that spread across his face for the first time that day. "Iruka-sensei!" He called out, overjoyed at seeing the brunet man he saw as a kind of father figure.

Umino Iruka was one of the few paid demon staff members at the palace who weren't involved somehow with Konoha's military. The brunet had originally been hired by Danzou to teach a young Naruto barely out of diapers the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Iruka had found his heart going out to the loud-mouthed and often rude little prince, orphaned and alone in the complicated sea of royal politics. He'd ended up as sort of a surrogate father figure. Although Iruka's job as Naruto's teacher had officially ended when the prince had turned thirteen, he'd managed to talk his way into a job managing paperwork at the palace. This way, Iruka could remain close to Naruto.

Iruka's dark eyes warmed considerably at seeing his former pupil, though worried lines still remained around his brow and the corner of his mouth. He put a gentle hand on Naruto's shoulder, frowning slightly as the prince's eyes quickly dropped away from his face to stare at the carpet.

"Naruto-sama," came Sai's quiet yet stern voice from the prince's right. "What would your father think if he saw you dropping your eyes to the floor every time someone spoke to you?"

Invoking Naruto's father, though harsh, had been the right move to make on Sai's part. The prince's spine stiffened with determination, and he lifted his eyes to Iruka's. After a few moments where nothing happened, Naruto's smile widened just a bit further. "Thanks for being here, Iruka-sensei," he said quietly, in a voice filled with gratefulness.

Iruka chuckled gently. "Well, I'm officially here to announce the guests, you know," he said. "They've all arrived now, though, and I've just been waiting out here to announce you and Danzou. Kakashi and Jiraiya-sama managed to worm their way onto the guest list, by the way, and they'll be watching out for you too."

"He's coming," Sai's voice broke into their conversation, filled with urgency. Iruka quickly removed his hand from the prince's shoulder. He and Sai kneeled down at the approach of Shimura Danzou.

The old man was dressed simply, in a set of smoky gray robes. His cane was a simple piece of polished wood. As usual, a white linen bandage was wrapped around Danzou's face, hiding his left eye. Dressing humbly for state events, as if he were merely a temporary steward for a post that was rightfully Naruto's, was one of the ways Danzou manipulated the public into giving him their approval.

As the rightful heir to the throne, Naruto wasn't required to bow before anybody, and least of all to Danzou. The old man technically wasn't royalty at all. Iruka's presence was enough to deter Danzou from _making_ Naruto bow, which he would have done had only Sai been there. The bastard wouldn't want to seem anything but the pinnacle of respect for Naruto - in public, anyway. The prince felt a rush of fierce love for his unofficial guardian at that moment.

Despite the strong urge to look away, Naruto forced himself to face Danzou head on. This was _not_ a man the prince would allow himself to look weak in front of. The old man stopped a few feet before Naruto, his one visible dark eye glaring sharply into Naruto's two blue ones. After a few minutes of feeling nothing but a profound hatred for Konoha's regent, the prince's body relaxed ever-so-slightly. Ending up mated to _Danzou_ of all people would have been like dying and going to hell for Naruto.

"Naruto," Danzou said. "I assume you have been spoken to already about the way you must behave this afternoon?"

_You son-of-a-bitch, you already know that I was. You made sure I was woken up at five AM for that fucking lecture,_ Naruto thought. Out loud, he merely said, "Yes sir."

"Good." Danzou'd eye narrowed slightly. "You would do well to be on your best behavior today, boy, or else there will be...consequences."

Naruto's jaw clenched with anger and frustration. How _dare_ the old bastard chastise him as if he were a small child, and in front of Sai and Iruka too! But there was nothing he could do about it, as always. Attacking Danzou would only make Naruto's position at court even worse than it already was, as impossible as that might sound.

"You may rise," Danzou said to Iruka and Sai, who did so. "Umino, go in and announce the presence of Naruto and myself to the guests. I'm certain that everyone who matters has arrived by now, and we wouldn't want to keep them waiting."

"Of course, Danzou-sama," Iruka replied, turning to enter the throne room. After several uncomfortable moments, during which Danzou eyed Naruto coldly and Sai's face was its usual expressionless mask, the prince heard Iruka announce their names. Naruto prayed to every god and spirit he could think of that his mate was somewhere far away, like Suna or Iwa, and he would never cross paths with them in his lifetime.

Naruto took a deep breath, steeled himself for the ceremony ahead, and walked into the throne room.

* * *

Although he'd been planning his entire life to fight him, Sasuke had no idea what Shimura Danzou actually looked like. Itachi didn't know either - he had never actually seen the man up close, and only had vague descriptions of him to go by. As a child, Sasuke sometimes had nightmares of Danzou as a great and terrible monster towering above the homes of the Uchiha Clan. In these dreams, Danzou had trampled houses into matchsticks underneath great claws, and spat hot fire to scorch the earth around him. Sasuke always woke up screaming bloody murder just before he got trampled or roasted, and would spend the rest of the night curled up next to Itachi in his older brother's bed.

In reality, Danzou was nothing like what Sasuke had imagined him to be. The man entering the throne room looked to be well into his sixties, if not older. He walked with a pronounced limp, leaning on a cane as he walked towards the two thrones at the other end of the room. Underneath a mop of dark hair, the Regent's face was heavily scarred and wrinkled. A linen bandage was wrapped around the left side of his head, completely covering one of his eyes. Danzou wore simple clothing, though Sasuke could tell that it was of high quality fabric. Likewise, the Regent's wooden cane was highly polished and smoothed to perfection. Despite Danzou's elderly and frail appearance, however, there was a faint aura of menace and danger about him. Sasuke couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something told him that the old demon was definitely not one to be trifled with.

Although Sasuke was surprised by Danzou's appearance, it was nothing compared to how he felt when he saw the Demon Prince.

Over the years, the Uchiha had constructed an image of the Prince to go along with the burning hatred he nurtured for the demon. In Sasuke's mind, Uzumaki was a fat and spoiled rich kid, every inch of his doughy and pale flesh wrapped in silks and furs. He imagined Uzumaki as spending his days lying around in a nest of pillows, as scantily-clad slave girls hand-fed him delicacies and sucked his tiny cock. Just thinking about it was enough to make Sasuke want to break into the demon palace one day and stab the Prince to death. Uzumaki's death would rid Konoha of another tyrant like Danzou, paving the way for a better ruler to take up the reins of power.

In reality, however, Uzumaki looked nothing like Sasuke's mental image of him. The Prince was tall, his skin tanned from what must have been ample time spent outside. Even underneath the softly rippling silk of the fancy kimono he wore, Sasuke could tell that Uzumaki was lean and fit. The Prince's golden hair fell in barely-tamed spikes around his cheeks and forehead. He walked straight and proud behind Danzou, his eyes hooded and fixed on the two thrones. From where he was hidden, Sasuke couldn't even see them very clearly.

If he was being perfectly honest with himself, Sasuke would have said that the Prince was quite handsome. Hell, Uzumaki was practically the living embodiment of an adolescent girl's wet dream. But his looks didn't change anything. The Prince was still a spoiled little brat who couldn't care less about anyone or anything outside the idyllic little world of demons in and around his palace. Just thinking about it made Sasuke's guts burn with anger. The Uchiha fisted his hands, firmly resisting the urge to jump out and attack Uzumaki right then and there. There was no way _that_ particular line of action would end well for Sasuke.

All of the guests had gotten up out of their seats and were kneeling before their Prince and Regent as the two demons sat in their respective thrones, Danzou in the tall ebony one and Uzumaki in the smaller golden one. From his hiding place, Sasuke could only see the Prince's right arm, resting lightly on his throne. Danzou was hidden from the Uchiha's sight completely.

"You may be seated," Danzou addressed the guests, and the throne room was soon filled with movement and the rustling of clothing as everyone resumed their positions at the banquet tables. "On behalf of our beloved Demon Prince, I would like to welcome each and every one of you to this afternoon's mating ceremony.

"As I am sure you all know, today is Uzumaki-sama's eighteenth birthday. In accordance with royal tradition, all the young lords and ladies of Konoha have been invited here in an effort to find our Prince's mate. One of you fine young adults may well have the enviable position of ruling Konoha alongside him one day."

There was a round of applause from the audience, which Uzumaki raised his arm to acknowledge. Once it had died down, Danzou resumed speaking once more. "Umino will announce the name of each young noble here today. When your name is called, you will approach the throne and kneel before Uzumaki-sama. You will make eye contact with him, and perhaps a bond will be created. If a bond is not formed after a few minutes, you will return to your seat and the next name will be called. Have I made this process clear?"

There was a murmur of assent from the guests. The young nobles at the table closest to the throne all looked very anxious. Sasuke couldn't blame them - after all, today could change the life of any one of them forever. One of the girls was actually trembling, twisting her napkin around in her lap. "Very well," Danzou said. "Umino, you may begin reading names. We'll start with the ladies first, as is the custom."

"Yes, my lord," said the brunet man who had been announcing the names of the guests earlier. He went to stand beside the Prince's golden throne, and unrolled a scroll of paper. Umino cleared his throat and read, "Lady Yamanaka Ino."

A tall, willowy girl with long blonde hair got up from her seat and gracefully knelt before the throne. She gazed up at the Prince, her pale blue eyes wide and searching. Sasuke had no idea _what_ exactly the young lady was looking for, but he noticed Uzumaki's hand tense ever-so-slightly on the arm of his throne. Could it be possible that the great and powerful Demon Prince was..._nervous_? Sasuke inwardly scoffed at the thought. Who the Prince mated probably wouldn't change _his_ life at all. The Uchiha felt bad for whatever poor demon was going to end up mated to the spoiled brat, though. Well, the Prince would be nice to look at, at least.

There were a few moments of tense silence, during which everyone's eyes were fixed firmly on the throne. Whatever they might have been waiting for, however, didn't happen. Finally, after the anxiety in the room seemed thick enough to cut with a knife, Umino broke the silence. "Thank you, Lady Yamanaka," he said. "You may return to your seat now."

The girl got up and went back to her place at the table, looking dejectedly down at her lap. One of the people sitting next to her patted her on the back reassuringly. The rest of the guests murmured quietly amongst themselves. Sasuke noticed the Prince's hand relax once more.

For the next fifteen minutes or so, Umino read names off the list, and young women came forward to kneel before the throne and look at the Prince. The room would grow quiet for a few moments, and when nothing happened, the guests would mutter to amongst themselves once more as the girl went to sit back down. At some point, a servant boy went to the Prince's side and placed a small bowl of fresh grapes on the arm of his throne. Sasuke glimpsed the edge of Uzzumaki's face as the Prince nodded to the servant boy, dismissing him, and then proceeded to ignore the food.

Sasuke couldn't help but stare at that bowl of grapes. They were right in his line of sight, and looked absolutely delicious. The fruit was plump and at the height of ripeness. Each grape's skin was round and firm. The Uchiha could just imagine how wonderful it would be to bite into one of those grapes, the skin bursting open to allow cool, juicy sweetness to run down his mouth and throat...

Sasuke's stomach chose that moment to growl softly, reminding him that he hadn't eaten at all since that morning. And he'd been too nervous at that point to eat more than a few bites of jerky. It had been a long time now since Sasuke had had anything to eat or drink, and it was starting to affect him. There were still many hours of hiding to go until the Uchiha could sneak back out of the palace. He didn't want to risk fainting from hunger or thirst until then.

Surely the Prince wouldn't notice if Sasuke just stole a few grapes? They were only a few feet away, sitting so tantalizingly by his hand. Everyone was so focused on the nobles coming and going before the throne that Sasuke was sure he could reach forward, grab a few grapes, and hurry back behind the pillar before anyone noticed. He'd have to be fast, and would need to carefully avoid knocking the bowl over, but the Uchiha was certain he could pull it off. He _had _to, as his stomach was insistently reminding him.

"Lady Hyuuga Hinata," Umino read off of his scroll. Sasuke waited for the girl to come forward and kneel before Uzumaki. When everyone's gazes were fixed on her and the Prince, the Uchiha stretched out his arm towards the bowl. He moved ever-so-slightly out from behind the pillar...just a few more inches, and he'd be able to get a grape...

Uzumaki Naruto's head whipped around, his eyes meeting Sasuke's for the first time.

The Uchiha felt his muscles freeze into place. He couldn't have moved forward even if he wanted to. The Prince's eyes were blue, the brightest and most intense blue Sasuke had ever seen in his entire life. They were like the water and the sky, all mixed up into one. Sasuke felt as if he were drowning in them, falling endlessly through blue depths...

Slowly, Uzumaki - _no, it's Naruto, his first name is Naruto,_ - got up out of his golden throne and walked towards Sasuke. The guard standing nearby reached for the short sword strapped to his back, but Naruto stopped him with a growl that sounded almost feral in its intensity.

Sasuke was suddenly gripped by a feeling of _submission_, more intense and powerful than anything he'd ever felt before in his life. Every part of his body was screaming at him not to resist what was going to happen next, not to run from the Demon Prince or fight with him. The Uchiha felt in that moment that he would die if he didn't obey. He fell to his knees before Naruto, just as the blond demon reached out and caressed Sasuke's cheek in a gesture that seemed almost impossibly tender.

For one long moment, the two of them merely stared at each other, not breaking eye contact for even a moment. Sasuke watched in stunned silence as Naruto's pupils narrowed into slits, like a cat's, that fierce blue iris slowly being eaten away by a ring of vivid crimson. Then Naruto growled again, and captured Sasuke's mouth in a harsh and powerful kiss. The Uchiha instantly opened his mouth when the blond's tongue swiped across his lip, allowing him entry. Naruto began to thoroughly explore every inch of Sasuke's mouth. He bit gently at the insides of Sasuke's mouth, sucked at the Uchiha's tongue. It was Sasuke's first kiss, and the intensity of it sent waves of pleasure coursing through his body.

With another harsh growl, Naruto pushed Sasuke back and climbed on top of him, roughly tearing at the Uchiha's robes with long, sharp nails that seemed more like claws than anything else. Waves of some kind of pulsing, red energy emanated from the Prince, swirling into the air around Sasuke and heating it to an almost unbearable temperature. Sasuke yelled again, anchoring himself against this strange energy by wrapping his arms around Naruto's firm back. Was this what a demon's chakra was like?

With a jolt of confusion, Sasuke felt his penis grow hard. He was harder and more aroused than he'd ever been before in his life. Growing up, Sasuke had always been too busy training or studying to give much thought to having sex. It had seemed like such a trivial matter, compared to killing Danzou and avenging his clan. Sometimes he'd woken up in the wee hours of the morning with an erection, like most teenage boys did. He would quietly masturbate in order to get rid of it, fervently hoping all the while that Itachi didn't wake up while he was doing so. But that paled in comparison to how Sasuke felt now.

There was a harsh ripping sound as Naruto tore off part of his own restrictive kimono. He leaned forward and began to bite at Sasuke's neck and clavicles. The Uchiha yelped at the bites, and at the warm, soothing licks that followed from the blond's skillful tongue. Over Naruto's shoulder, Sasuke could see the guests gathering around, looking at them with shocked and horrified expressions. Many of them were talking to each other in hushed voices, while a few just stared in disbelief.

"A _human_..."

"It can't be!"

"This has _never _happened before!"

"Impossible..."

Naruto tore off another section of Sasuke's clothes, exposing his abdomen, which the blond demon began to bite and suck at in a matter similar to how he'd treated Sasuke's neck. All of a sudden, it hit Sasuke that Naruto intended to have _sex _with him, right in front of the hundred or so people currently gathered around them. Sasuke then realized that he _wanted_ it to happen, wanted Naruto to fuck him relentlessly into the floor until this strange lust that had come over the Uchiha was sated. A small part of his mind protested the situation, reminding Sasuke that demons were the enemy, that he didn't know Naruto at all, and had wanted to kill him not an hour previously. But there were too many sensations running through Sasuke's body right now for him to pay his mind any heed. He would deal with himself later. Right now, Sasuke was more concerned about having sex _without_ an audience of demons nearby.

The Uchiha pulled hard on what was left of Naruto's kimono. "Please..." he moaned. "Please...not here..."

Naruto paused in his exploration of Sasuke's stomach, looking curiously down at the dark-haired human he'd suddenly found himself so enamored with. The Prince's eyes were redder now, the whisker marks on his cheeks standing out in sharp, jagged lines. "Somewhere private...we need to do this...away from here..." Sasuke gasped out, a loud moan leaving his mouth when Naruto swirled that skillful tongue of his around Sasuke's belly button in response.

Sasuke must have somehow gotten through to the blond demon, because the moment Naruto's mouth left his flesh, the Uchiha found himself swept up into two strong arms. "H-Hey!" He started to protest, but words soon died in Sasuke's throat as Naruto ran out of the throne room faster than the Uchiha had thought physically possible. He clung desperately to the blond's shoulders, feeling strangely comforted at their proximity.

One could have heard a pin drop in the throne room after that. The guests all stared, dumbfounded, after the blond prince and his dark-haired human, while bits of the kimono and Sasuke's white servant's robe fluttered around them on the floor.

Danzou, who had gotten up from his throne the moment Naruto had run out if the room, turned to Sai with an expression of pure confusion. The events that had just transpired had been so unexpected, the old demon had no idea how he should feel about it. "What...just happened?" He asked.

Sai could only shake his head. If anyone had been looking, although they weren't, they would have noticed a brief flicker of something like jealousy or anger pass through Sai's dark eyes. It was gone as soon as it came, however, leaving Sai feeling just as confused as his master. "I have no idea, sir."

* * *

**Author's Note****: And they finally meet! What lies in store for our two favorite boys and their newly created relationship? Who knows? (Well I do...kukuku~)**

**REVIEW**** CORNER**** Thanks for Reviewing: **Rosebunse, Monte0411, Kurami-chan, Morrigana Fayetta, Stately Demented, natsumefruit, grumpikachu, jjnarufan, Lady Spain, TigerDemonOwnz, Khrystaline, cynder81, villannous, toooshi, xxxHELLOxxx, sleepyhead 8D, gota gelada, April2006, unheardcries, Silvermane1, BadButt94

**Stay tuned for smut next chapter! ;)**


	6. Mating

**Author's Note****: I have returned! And I am so, so sorry about the terrible lateness of this chapter. Two weeks ago I was approved, last-minute, for a group trip abroad. I hadn't had much of this chapter written at that point (DAMN YOU SKYRIM!) and I was too busy rushing to pack and get everything ready for the trip to write much more. I was gone ten days, during which time I did not have my laptop. Now that I'm back in the States, however, I wrote like a madwoman to finish this up. Anyway, it's here now, and that's what matters. :)**

**OH. MY. GOSH. Almost a hundred reviews for this fic?! You guys are absolutely amazing, seriously. I've never had this many reviews for a story before. I'm honored that you all find this fic to be entertaining. u.u I apologize if I missed replying to anyone's reviews, by the way. Know that I adore every single one of you lovely readers, no matter what.  
**

**DISCLAIMER:**** _Naruto_ is the property of VIZ Media and Kishimoto Masashi. I own naught but a few _Naruto_ plushies. This story is written for entertainment purposes only, and I do not make a single cent off of writing it.  
**

**WARNINGS: Smut. Lemon. Porn. Sex. Yaoi. The pants-off dance-off. The horizontal tango. Whatever you want to call it, there is explicit sex between two men in this chapter. If that's not your thing, turn back now. There's also a fair bit of explicit language as well.**

**In case this gets taken down on , you can always find the story on my AO3 account. The link is in my profile.**

* * *

Sasuke found himself carried swiftly down a long hallway, cradled tightly in Naruto's arms. The demon moved faster than Sasuke had thought physically possible, and all the Uchiha could see was a blur of red carpeting out of the corner of his eye. He wrapped his arms tightly around Naruto's shoulders, and held on for dear life. If Naruto dropped him now, Sasuke worried that he might break his neck from impacting with the floor. He buried his face in the blond's chest and focused on the sound of Naruto's heartbeat. It felt...soothing, somehow, and the Uchiha relished that small comfort in the midst of the chaotic event that was currently enveloping him.

Naruto bore Sasuke up a flight of stairs and down another hallway, barging through a door at the end and kicking it shut behind them with a loud _slam_. They passed through a central room - perhaps a sitting area, based on the quick glimpse Sasuke caught of a couch - and through another doorway at the end. Luckily this door had been left open, as Naruto would surely have smashed it to pieces in his haste. Sasuke was practically thrown from the demon's arms, landing with a slight bounce on a soft surface. The Uchiha barely had time to realize that he'd landed on a bed, and a rather nice one by the feel of it, before Naruto was atop him.

There was a loud tearing, and what had been left of Sasuke's stolen robes fluttered to the floor in ragged strips. Another tearing sound, and the remains of Naruto's silk kimono followed. Cool air washed over Sasuke's naked body, feeling good against his heated skin. And then Naruto was again on top of him, straddling his hips.

Up close, Naruto looked truly frightening, like a storybook monster parents might use to frighten their children into obedience. His eyes were a vivid crimson, without even a trace of the bright blue that had so captivated Sasuke originally, and the pupils were sharp vertical slits. The whisker markings now stood out like jagged scars against Naruto's flushed face. The blond's canine teeth had grown larger and longer, and now resembled fangs that poked out slightly underneath Naruto's upper lip. He gripped Sasuke's hips tightly with long, sharp nails that resembled claws, just this side of hurting the human below him.

Although Naruto's appearance would have made any sane human scream in terror and try to escape, Sasuke couldn't deny the way he felt. Being close to Naruto made him feel pleasantly warm, and intensely aroused. The Uchiha felt safe and happy for the first time since he was a child At the moment, he wanted nothing more than to lie underneath Naruto forever, protected by the demon's warm, muscular body.

Sasuke let his arms fall back limply against the bed, and tilted his chin up, baring his neck to Naruto once more. Soft sounds of approval escaped the Uchiha as the demon's mouth fell upon him again with a growl, licking and sucking every inch of exposed flesh he could get at. He was surprisingly gentle with Sasuke, biting the Uchiha's pale flesh just hard enough to leave visible marks, but not hard enough to cause bleeding. The one time Naruto accidentally bit too hard, a slight whimper from Sasuke caused him to instantly pull back, purring gently and laving the injured spot with his tongue for several minutes. Before long, Sasuke's neck, clavicles, and even a few places on his stomach were littered with bright red marks, symbols of the passion and lust Naruto felt towards him.

The feel of Naruto's engorged cock rubbing against Sasuke's leg caused the Uchiha's own erection, which had been flagging slightly, to rise into full hardness once more. Naruto noticed and rumbled approvingly, rubbing his body gently against Sasuke's length, causing the Uchiha to cry out. The blond demon pulled away slightly, just enough to get a large, warm hand in-between their two bodies. Naruto gripped Sasuke's cock, stroking it gently. He stuck the forefinger of his other hand into his mouth, sucking hard in order to get the digit nice and wet.

Sasuke practically screamed with pleasure. It felt so good, better than he ever could have imagined, to have Naruto's hand on his most sensitive place, stroking just hard enough to create a delicious friction. The blond's thumb brushed over the swollen head of Sasuke's penis, dipping slightly into the tip and wetting itself in the now steadily leaking precum there. "N-Naruto!" Sasuke cried out, thrusting up into the demon's hand.

At hearing that wanton cry of his name, Naruto knew that he could wait no longer. He had to be inside of Sasuke - his _mate_ - now, or he felt as if he would combust. The blond reluctantly let go of Sasuke's penis and spread the dark-haired man's legs, hooking them up over his own shoulders. Sasuke whimpered unhappily and reached out to grip Naruto's hand, trying to pull it back down to his flushed cock, but he quickly let go and fell back against the mattress once more at the feel of Naruto's fingers dancing along the cleft of his ass.

Sasuke moaned aloud as he felt Naruto rubbing and massaging the sensitive skin of his rear. He'd never thought of his ass as a particularly erotic or sensitive place before, but the feel of the blond demon's fingers was quickly changing his mind. And then a finger was pushed _inside_ of Sasuke, its claw miraculously gone. The Uchiha grunted, more out of surprise than pain. There was a slight stinging, which quickly faded to pleasure as Naruto rubbed and massaged the hot, tight inner walls of Sasuke's ass. The Uchiha thrust up once more, practically impaling himself on Naruto's finger. "Please..." Sasuke moaned, though he had no idea what exactly it was he wanted. He only knew that he needed _more_. He was so close...

With another growl, Naruto yanked his finger away, and this time Sasuke wasn't given a chance to protest. Only seconds after removing his finger, Naruto's cock was plunging deep inside the dark-haired man beneath him. The blond demon pushed himself in to the hilt, then waited a few moments to let himself adjust. The tight, hot feeling of his mate's ass clenching around him was perhaps the most wonderful thing he'd ever experienced. From deep inside of his soul, Naruto felt the Kyuubi practically purring in approval - a strange feeling indeed, as Kyuubi never purred, whether in happiness or otherwise.

Sasuke hissed as Naruto's cock entered him. It felt huge, and stretched his ass much more than a single finger had. For a few moments neither of them moved. Sasuke and Naruto simply looked at each other, the blond demon suspending himself over the dark-haired human beneath him. When the pain caused by Naruto's entry had subsided a little, Sasuke closed his eyes and nodded. Naruto purred happily, and started to move.

Sasuke moaned loudly at how good it felt. Hie eyes flew open to see Naruto's thick, hard cock plunging in and out, filling him up in ways he hadn't even known existed. The blond demon moved slowly at first, as they both got used to the new and wonderful feelings currently coursing through them both. Then the head of Naruto's cock hit a spot inside Sasuke that sent electric shocks of pleasure coursing through the Uchiha's body. He screamed in pleasure and reached up to grip Naruto's shoulders, thrusting his own body up to meet the blond's, to get closer to that wonderful penis and the even more wonderful way it made him feel.

Naruto sped up the pace, thrusting harder and faster into Sasuke's body. He loved the way the dark-haired man reared up on every thrust, impaling himself on his cock. Before long, the two of them were fucking so hard that Naruto's headboard rattled with each hard thrust. "Naruto, Naruto!" Sasuke chanted again and again, throwing his head back as the blond demon's penis continued to hit that spot inside of him that gave the Uchiha such pleasure.

Sasuke felt the muscles around his cock tighten urgently, and knew he was close. The Uchiha tightened his grip on Naruto's shoulders hard enough to leave bruises, and shouted his completion to the ceiling as thick ropes of pearly cum splattered onto his stomach, a few drops landing on Naruto's face.

Sasuke felt the blond demon's cock spasm, then felt a rush of warmth as Naruto came as well, the blond crying out his own completion. There was a wet sound as Naruto's now flaccid penis slid out of Sasuke's ass. Suddenly bone-tired from his exertions, Naruto fell forward on the bed, his body half atop Sasuke's. The Uchiha snuggled close to Naruto's delightfully warm body, and followed the blond demon into unconsciousness.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke had no idea what time it was when they next awoke, only that they were both filled again with strange and insatiable lust. Naruto was half-hard from the moment he'd opened his eyes. The Kyuubi was howling inside him, pushing against the seal that kept the fox captive, and demanding the blond rut inside of Sasuke until he was too exhausted to move. Sasuke pushed his body flush against Naruto's, moaning softly and grinding his already hard cock against the blond demon's thigh. The dark-haired man clearly wanted more, and who was Naruto to deny him? With a grunt of effort, Naruto maneuvered himself so that he was straddling Sasuke's thighs, staring down into his mate's dark eyes, which were half-lidded and dark with lust.

Then Sasuke ground hard against the blond once more, a long roll of his hips that rubbed deliciously up against Naruto's own arousal. The blond growled and moved to slake both his and Sasuke's desires with another loud round of sex.

* * *

It was impossible for Naruto and Sasuke to tell the passage of time, caught up as they were in the mindless, aroused state caused by their bond's formation. It didn't help that the heavy velvet curtains framing Naruto's windows were pulled shut, effectively blocking out all but the thinnest sliver of light. Sasuke only knew that Naruto fucked him to screaming completion over and over again, at which point the demon would orgasm as well. The two would then pass out in a sweaty, exhausted heap on Naruto's bed. Then they would wake up at some point later feeling just as horny as before, and would engage their lusts with each other once more.

Sasuke dimly remembered eating some food in Naruto's bed at one point, and he thought he'd gotten up to go to the bathroom as well, but it was difficult to be sure. Overall, though, the Uchiha had no coherent thoughts during this time, only the sensations and feelings of sex and orgasm. There was only his body and Naruto's body, his mouth and Naruto's mouth, his cock and Naruto's cock. Sasuke's entire world was limited to the bed and the warm, muscled body that inhabited it alongside him.

Sasuke had only one single, coherent memory of this time, of looking at Naruto's abdomen in the dim illumination of the bedside lamp. The blond's stomach and abs were covered in a strange pattern of whorled circles and mysterious runes, written in no language Sasuke had ever heard of. It was like a strange tattoo meant for some sort of ancient ritual, marked in thick, black lines on Naruto's body. Sasuke ran his fingers over those lines, reveling in the feel of rippling muscles and soft, smooth skin under his fingertips. Naruto, half-asleep beside him, purred and shifted in contentment at Sasuke's touch.

The Uchiha couldn't remember when he'd stopped touching Naruto, only that when he finally did fall asleep, the runes and circles marking Naruto's body danced through his unconscious thoughts. Sasuke thought he saw a glimpse of red fur in the patterns, a hint of sharp claws or a gleam of snapping teeth...but then it was gone, and the dream fell away into the darkness of Sasuke's mind, forgotten.

* * *

Sasuke woke up groggily, awareness slowly breaking through the thick fog of sleep like rays of sunlight piercing heavy gray clouds. He was lying on perhaps the softest bed in the whole world, covered with a warm and equally soft blanket. There was another body lying close beside Sasuke's own, wonderfully large and generating its own comfortable heat. This body felt almost like a great living shield, protecting Sasuke from all of the terrible and dangerous things in the world that might try to hurt him. For the first time in many years, the Uchiha felt completely safe and relaxed. He wondered sleepily why he was in Itachi's bed...

_Wait a minute..._

All traces of sleep vanished from Sasuke's mind as his mind flooded with memories of the last few days, coming all at once in a great deluge. Infiltrating the demon palace. Hiding behind a pillar in the throne room and watching the mating ceremony. Trying to grab a bit of fruit off of a bowl on the Prince's throne to satisfy his own hunger. The Prince's head whipping around to look at him, their eyes meeting. The incredible surge of energy and arousal as Sasuke met those intense blue eyes...

And what they'd done afterwards...Sasuke felt his face heat up just thinking about it. The memories of _that_ were muddled and confused in Sasuke's mind. Both him and Naruto had not been fully lucid at the time, obviously. But the Uchiha remembered enough. The feeling of Naruto thrusting in and out of his ass, hitting a spot that sent blinding pleasure through Sasuke's body...Naruto biting at his neck...Oh gods, Sasuke had moaned and cried out like a _whore_.

Sasuke suddenly realized that his ass felt sore, as did the rest of his body. He ached all over from his exertions, the sort of dull ache one feels after a day of vigorous exercise. The Uchiha knew the feeling well from his many years of training. Only this ache was most definitely _not_ caused by practicing kicks and punches and blocks.

The Uchiha took a deep breath to steady his racing heart, and turned to look at the demon lying in the bed next to him. Naruto looked calm and at peace now, a stark change from his recent demonic appearance. The demon's hair was messy, soft blond spikes plastered against his cheeks and forehead. His whisker marks were once again thin lines against his cheeks. Naruto breathed slowly and deeply, clearly still fast asleep, and naked as the day he was born.

In his haste to escape the bed, Sasuke got tangled up in the blanket and landed with a soft _thud_ on the floor. After a moment of wild flailing, the Uchiha managed to disentangle himself and get to his feet. Naruto grunted and shifted slightly, but remained fast asleep.

Sasuke was standing in the largest, most sumptuous bedroom he'd ever been in his entire life. The high, vaulted marble ceiling stretched many feet above the Uchiha's head, and the soft, off-white carpet beneath his feet was at least an inch thick. The bed that he'd recently vacated was at least three times larger than Sasuke's bed at home, with a large, curved wooden headboard that had a spiral carved into it. The pillows were fluffy and inviting, as was the thick, burnt-orange quilt. Several messy plates were strewn about on the floor, the remains of food caked on them, staining the fine porcelain.

A fresh wave of panic washed through him as Sasuke realized that he had no idea of how long he'd been in here with Naruto. He'd obviously eaten, but had no idea _what_ it was he'd consumed. For all Sasuke knew, the food was poisoned. How could he have been so careless?

At the other end of the room was a large, gilt-trimmed wooden dresser, mostly bare save for a square of cloth obviously meant to protect the surface from dust and a single hairbrush. There was a huge golden mirror hanging above it, which looked to be almost as tall as Sasuke. Breathing harsh and uneven, the Uchiha crossed the room and looked at his reflection in it.

He looked like a mess. Sasuke's dark hair was messy, sticking up in unruly spikes on one side and plastered flat against his cheek on the other. His eyes were wide and panicked-looking, his face pale and sweaty. Sasuke's neck and collarbones were littered with dark bruises, the evidence of Naruto's attentions.

Sasuke turned back around, making sure that Naruto was still asleep. He was. This was Sasuke's chance. He could grab some clothes and sneak out of here right now. Escape the palace. Find the front gate, climb the guard tower quickly and quietly, so that the guards didn't notice. Catch one of them off-guard, and knock him out or kill him. Jump from the tower to the safety of the ruined edges of Konohagakure where the humans lived. Find Itachi -

_Itachi!_ Sasuke had no idea how long he'd been gone. His brother must be worried sick, waiting for him in the old buildings and streets outside the walls. Perhaps he thought Sasuke was dead. Itachi might have grown tired of waiting and gone back to their little cabin in the woods by now, for all Sasuke knew.

Sasuke needed to get away, and now, while Naruto was still asleep. There was no one else in the room to stop him. Even better, Sasuke could strangle Naruto right this moment, kill him in his sleep before he had the chance to wake up. The blond wouldn't even know what was happening until it was too late.

But...Sasuke _couldn't_. Just the thought of Naruto coming to harm made the Uchiha feel sick to his stomach. The thought of hurting or killing Naruto himself felt intolerable. Sasuke's entire being cried out against it. He somehow knew that he wouldn't be able to survive if he caused Naruto to die. Sasuke still hated Naruto, with an intensity that burned like a fire. But mixed in with this was a strong, undeniable connection to the demon, more intense than anything Sasuke had ever felt before in his life. It was as if he'd grown an extra limb, and one end of it had somehow been attached to Naruto's body.

It was all too much, and too quickly. The events of the last few days threatened to overwhelm Sasuke in a wave of panic. He crouched down on the floor, hugging his legs to his torso in an effort to make himself as small as possible. The Uchiha focused on breathing deeply, focusing all his energy on staying calm and in control of himself.

Meanwhile, Naruto was stirring awake. He yawned loudly and stretched out his arms, automatically seeking the warm body that had shared his bed. The blond's groggy mind wasn't yet thinking about the significance of the last few days, but he could still feel the strong pull of attraction towards the person who must be his mate. Naruto wanted to hold his mate close, to wrap around him and protect him from all the painful and dangerous things in the world. The demon smiled sleepily as he remembered the way his mate's face had contorted in pleasure, the way he'd cried out Naruto's name as the blond had thrust hard in and out of his body...

_Wait a minute..._

Naruto sat straight up in his bed, throwing the blankets off of himself as all traces of sleepiness immediately vanished. Oh gods, what had _happened_? The blond demon clutched at his head, trying desperately to remember. The events of the last few days were muddled and confused in his mind, as if obscured by a thick fog. But Naruto remembered the feeling of taking his mate, over and over again. The excruciating tightness and heat around his cock, the way his mate had held onto Naruto and loudly voiced his pleasure. The physical sensations Naruto felt even now, of wanting to be close to his mate and to hold him, were like a physical pull so strong that Naruto's breath caught in his chest. Was this what it felt like to be bonded?

Cold dread filled Naruto's stomach. He hadn't even wanted a mate in the first place, but it was just his shitty luck that he'd ended up with one anyway. Now, the blond would have to constantly be looking out for someone else in order to ensure his own safety. It was like having an essential organ, like a heart or liver, existing outside of one's body and able to wander around on its own.

The prince scanned the room wildly, trying to find where his mate had gone off to. What if he'd panicked and run off? Or even worse - what if Danzou's men had somehow sneaked in while he was sleeping, and taken Naruto's mate away? They could have killed him already. _No_, the blond thought firmly, _that couldn't have happened. I would have woken up. I _definitely_ would have woken up._

Naruto couldn't help the deep sigh of relief that escaped him when he finally spotted his mate, curled up on the floor by his dressing table. Like the blond demon, he was completely naked, and trembling slightly. Clearly, Naruto's mate hadn't been expecting their mating to happen at all. The situation was overwhelming for Naruto as well, and he'd spent his entire life knowing - and dreading - that he might end up mated to someone when he turned eighteen. He couldn't imagine how scared and confused his mate must be feeling right now.

Slowly, so as not to alarm his mate, Naruto edged himself off of the bed, intending to go and comfort him. At the slight sound of Naruto's feet touching carpet, however, his mate's face shot up. Their eyes met, and the prince's breath caught in his throat as he realized just how _beautiful_ his mate looked. Sappy as the thought was, it was true. Underneath porcelain-pale skin, Naruto could see that his mate had perfectly formed, lithely-muscled arms, a sign of being in peak physical condition. The man could have easily been a demon aristocrat of good breeding, with his high cheekbones and sharp jawline. His dark hair was sleep-mussed, but still appeared soft and sleek.

His mate's eyes, though, were what truly captured Naruto's attention. They were the darkest black he'd ever seen, like a midnight sky without even a hint of moon- or starlight, when it is still many hours before dawn. Their color was intense, drawing Naruto in and capturing his entire attention. Those eyes were filled with confusion, poorly-hidden fear, and...

Hatred. Pure, intense hatred, meant entirely for Naruto. The emotion was so strong, and displayed so plainly, that Naruto couldn't help but flinch back.

For awhile, the two simply stared at each other, each one's eyes locked to the other's. Both men were highly aware of the strange bond that tied them together, pulsing between them like a living thing. And then, Naruto noticed something else, something that had escaped him before.

Naruto couldn't sense any chakra coming from his mate. In highly stressful situations such as this, a demon's chakra levels spiked wildly. Without the proper training, a demon could lose complete control over their energy. But not even the slightest bit of chakra was emanating from the man on the floor before him.

The prince expanded his senses, mentally probing around his mate's body. Perhaps their was something wrong with him? Did he have abnormally low chakra levels? But Naruto still didn't sense even the smallest bit of chakra coming from the dark-haired man's body at all.

_It _can't _be..._

The lack of chakra meant that Naruto's mate was _human_. Which was impossible. No demon had _ever _mated to a human in all of recorded history. Humans weren't even able to form mating bonds with their own kind, let alone with a demon._ This has to be some sort of a mistake..._ Naruto thought in disbelief. Yet here he was, standing before a man with no chakra, who he was undeniably mated to.

Even though he was human, Naruto couldn't deny that the strength of the bond between him and the other man. The Kyuubi roared inside of the prince in response to that bond, clearly affected as strongly as Naruto was. The blond winced as the fox demon threw his entire weight against the seal keeping it trapped within the blond's body. Naruto could sense Kyuubi's desire to break free of his prison, and protect his host's mate by slaying every single demon inside the palace.

Naruto focused all of his mental energy on keeping the Kyuubi contained. He couldn't let the fox break out, and especially not in front of his mate! But the urge to protect his mate was strong, coming from both the bond and Kyuubi. The prince couldn't help taking an involuntary step forward, stretching his hand out to brush against his mate's shoulder...

_"Don't touch me."_ The dark-haired man on the floor practically leapt to his feet, recoiling away from Naruto as if the blond was some sort of deadly poison that would kill him on contact. His eyes were still boiling with hatred. With a sick, lurching feeling inside his gut, Naruto realized that only their mating bond was preventing the dark-haired human from attacking him right this moment.

Their mating bond pulsed again, and Naruto's mate winced, pressing a hand against his abdomen as if he were applying pressure to a wound there. "What the hell have you _done_, you son of a bitch?" The dark-haired man hissed out at Naruto through clenched teeth.

Naruto's head flooded with a million questions, a million things he wanted to say. Who was this human he'd found himself mated to? And why did he seem to hate Naruto so much? The prince could understand his mate's being confused and angry with him, considering the circumstances, but Naruto didn't think he'd done anything to deserve being looked at as if he were scum by the person he currently felt the strongest attachment to in the world. "What's your name?" He finally asked.

The dark-haired man looked confused. "Why the hell should I tell you that?"

"I don't think that's an unusual request, seeing as how we've only just properly met and all." Naruto's voice was still calm, but Sasuke could see a spark of something light up in those bright blue eyes - impatience, perhaps? Annoyance? "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm - "

"I know who you are," Sasuke interrupted him. He hadn't even the slightest idea as to what to do. Would he be compromising his safety to tell the blond his name? Would he be endangering Itachi? Surely it would be alright just to tell Naruto his first name, though. The demons probably couldn't glean much from that. There had to be plenty of other people in the world with his first name, after all. "It's Sasuke," he finally bit out.

"Sasuke...?"

"Just Sasuke."

"OK, OK," Naruto held his hands up in the universal gesture of peace. "Just Sasuke, then."

"What the hell is this...this _feeling_ I have towards you, anyway?" The Uchiha demanded. He had no idea how better to describe the strange pull he felt towards Naruto, and this bothered him greatly.

Thankfully, Naruto knew immediately what he was talking about. "We're mated," he said. "What you're feeling right now is the bond connecting us together as mates. I feel it too. I've heard that it's supposed to be strong at first, but you get used to it over time..." The blond trailed off, eyes widening in alarm at the look on Sasuke's face. His mate's already light skin had somehow gone even paler, dark eyes widening as a look of panic finally eclipsed the hatred inside them.

"M-mated?" Sasuke whispered. He couldn't believe it. There was absolutely no conceivable way he could be _mated_ to a demon, and to the Demon Prince, no less! It had to be some kind of a sick, twisted dream. He would wake up any second now, back in his bed at his and Itachi's dilapidated old cottage. Itachi would be cooking some porridge for breakfast and would be yelling for Sasuke to get out of bed already, because the food was going to be ready soon, and they had a full day of training ahead of them.

Sasuke pinched his arm, hard. When he was a child, Itachi had told him that this was a surefire way to wake yourself up from a dream. It stung, and the Uchiha looked up to find Naruto still staring at him, the demon's brow furrowed in worry.

"Don't hurt yourself," Naruto admonished, once more reaching out to touch Sasuke. The Uchiha moved even farther away from the blond, backing up until he hit the cool surface of a wall.

"Don't come any closer. I'm not afraid to fight you," he warned Naruto, although he had no idea what he would do to keep the demon away. Fighting a demon with his bare fists was a stupid idea, Sasuke knew, and the damned _bond_, or whatever the hell it was, wouldn't let the Uchiha hurt him anyway. _I'm really in trouble now,_ Sasuke thought. _Damn it all to hell, I don't think there's a _worse _situation I could be in right now!_

"I'm not going to hurt you," Naruto said, but he nonetheless stopped moving towards Sasuke and dropped his arm back to his side. "I _can't_ hurt you, anyway. The bond won't let me."

So Naruto couldn't hurt Sasuke either, then? It was good to know that the demon was affected similarly by the bond, then. The Uchiha relaxed minutely against the wall. "So we can't hurt each other, then?

"No," Naruto replied. "If you and I were to fight, one of us might kill the other. And if a demon's mate dies, the demon dies as well. I don't really feel like dying right now, so there's no point in fighting with you."

Sasuke felt as if he'd been punched in the gut with the enormity of _that_ little revelation. He would _die_ if Naruto died?! Any ideas Sasuke had entertained about finding a way to kill Naruto and break their bond instantly dissipated. Even if the Uchiha were somehow able to escape now, he would live the rest of his life fearing that he would keel over at any moment because Naruto died. It was unacceptable for Sasuke's life to be so closely tied with someone else's. He had to kill Danzou and avenge the Uchiha Clan, not spend the rest of his days at the Demon Prince's side like some sort of chained pet!

"How do we break this bond?" Sasuke asked, using every single ounce of his self-control to keep his voice free of the panic he currently felt.

For several long moments, Naruto was silent. The blond simply stared at Sasuke with an inscrutable expression on his face. Just when Sasuke had started to think that Naruto wasn't going to answer his question, the demon spoke. "You can't."

Dread settled in Sasuke's stomach like a cold lump of lead. Was there truly no way out of this? Was he actually going to be _attached_ to this demon, whom he hated with every fiber of his being, for the rest of his life?

Before Sasuke had a chance to say or do anything else, however, there came a knock at the door. Sasuke nearly jumped out of his skin at the unexpected sound. A cold sweat broke across the Uchiha's brow when the knock came again, this time slightly louder. Was it Danzou's men, finally here to kill him for mating with their Prince? Suddenly, Sasuke became highly conscious of the fact that he was completely naked. The Uchiha's face flushed with embarrassment at the realization. Damn it, if he had to die, why couldn't he at least be wearing something?!

Naruto's face went pale, and his eyes widened with panic at hearing the knock. _"Shit,"_ the demon hissed under his breath. Having apparently also realized that he and Sasuke were naked, the blond went to his bed and yanked the blankets off of it in one swift movement. He tossed the thicker one to Sasuke, and wrapped the thinner sheet around his own body. The Uchiha couldn't help but feel slightly grateful as he quickly covered himself.

"Who is it?" Naruto called out, keeping his voice carefully neutral. The demon hoped with all his heart that Sai or Sakura was on the other side of that door. He could really use their help right about now.

"Yakushi Kabuto, here at the behest of Danzou-sama." The voice on the other side of the door was smooth and rich, sounding as if it belonged to a well-spoken and intelligent person. There was a subtle edge to it, however, putting Sasuke in mind of a knife plunging between an unsuspecting victim's shoulder blades in the dead of night. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

Naruto swore viciously under his breath. "You may as well come in, then," he spat. "It's not like I'm able to do anything to keep you out, anyway."

The door opened quietly, and Sasuke got his first proper look at a demon other than Naruto. Kabuto was slim and good-looking, though he stood only a few inches above Sasuke's own height. The demon wore a set of plain black pants with a simple gray top, but as with Danzou's modest-looking clothes earlier, Sasuke could tell that they were of high quality material. Kabuto's silver hair was held back in a neat ponytail, and a set of thin, round spectacles framed his dark eyes. On the whole, he looked rather unassuming, the sort of person who could easily be ignored in the hustle and bustle of the demon palace.

However, Sasuke didn't miss the slight smirk that curled Kabuto's thin lips as he walked inside and surveyed the room, taking in everything from the dirty plates on the floor to Naruto and Sasuke's own barely-dressed states. As the silver-haired man turned towards Sasuke, his glasses caught what little light there was in the room and flashed, transforming Kabuto's eyes into two bright discs. Although the effect lasted only for a brief moment, it made Kabuto look completely inhuman, like the sort of monster Sasuke had always imagined demons to be. A slight shudder went down the Uchiha's spine. This was clearly _not _a person to be messed with.

Kabuto raised an eyebrow at Naruto and Sasuke, who were clutching the blankets tightly to their bodies. He chuckled softly. "Well, well, well. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Yeah, we're naked," Naruto practically growled out. His eyes were focused on Kabuto with an expression of intense hatred. "So why don't you go wait outside while we put some clothes on?"

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't do that, Naruto-kun," Kabuto practically purred, his smirk widening. Clearly, the silver-haired demon was enjoying Naruto's anger. "You see, Danzou-sama has instructed me to come and retrieve you as soon as you were...available. He wants to speak with you urgently, Naruto-kun. You, and your new...mate."

Kabuto turned to regard Sasuke with a cold, calculating gaze. His dark eyes swept up and down the Uchiha's body, making him feel completely exposed. Sasuke held the blanket even tighter against his chest as every muscle in his body tensed. He didn't know what the hell this Kabuto was planning, but Sasuke would be damned if he didn't go down without a fight.

The silver-haired demon merely turned back to Naruto after a few moments, however, his smirk still in place. "A _human_, Naruto-kun? My oh my, isn't this an interesting turn of events. Danzou-sama will be most intrigued."

Naruto was similarly tense with anger. "Leave him alone," the blond snapped. "He's got nothing to do with anything."

"On the contrary, your little human has become very important now. It is imperative that you both come to see Danzou immediately. Otherwise, there might be...consequences."

Sasuke bristled at being called "Naruto's human." He didn't belong to anyone, dammit, and least of all to some demon princeling!

Naruto, though, felt almost sick with worry. He knew a threat when he heard one, and there was no way he'd let Kabuto hurt Sasuke. The blond didn't want to die, and neither did he want anyone to get hurt because of him. "Can you give us an hour to get ready, at least?" He asked, voice still thick with anger. "I need to find my mate some clothes, after all."

"Your servant girl is Haruno, correct?" Kabuto asked. At Naruto's terse nod, he continued, "I'll send her up with some clothes for the human. In the meantime, I'll be waiting in your sitting room, Naruto-kun. You have one hour."

With one final smirk, Kabuto left the room, leaving Naruto and Sasuke alone with a feeling of impending doom hanging over them both.

* * *

**Author's Note****: UH-OH. Looks like our two boys are up the creek without a paddle this time. That Danzou's a tricky one. And so is Kabuto. Man, do I hate Kabuto. He's such a slimy, two-timing little bastard. .  
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**THANKS FOR REVIEWING: **ladious18, heart, NightEatsDeath, Lzay-Niight, Iiiiii, Boys-Love-Yaoi, Comedy-Neko-Chan, TigerDemonOwnz, Saya V, capricorn989, himelia, inouekurosaki26, Killua17, lo, franchan27, jjnarufan, blugirlami21, Guest, random person, MidnightFox, Ichigo123663, foxykasumi, sky6craZe, . , Janiyah, Silvermane1, Toshizo, Rosebunse, Dragon77, emo5tailedwolf, sleepyhead 8D, Saby a, villannous, uchiha hinata21, JuliaUchiwa, natsumefruit

**Unfortunately, since school starts up for me on Monday, updates might get a bit...sporadic from here on out. I'll do my best to update at least twice a month, however.**

**Again, thank you all so, so much for reading~  
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